Children of Death Eaters
by Avarellia Ebony
Summary: Ever wonder what it's like to be a Death Eater's child? Well, here's an idea. The life of Elaine Goyle and Draco Malfoy. Takes place during the Chamber of Secrets.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: First things first! This story was published under my brother's name, so if it seems familiar, that's why. It was published under Wordnerb93. However, it is my story.** **Here's the first chapter again.**

** I don't own Harry Potter, or the characters in the books, but I do own Elaine Goyle. **

**Elaine's POV  
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><p>We walked from the cauldron shop in Diagon Alley to the Apothecary to get my potions ingredients. It only took a few minutes, and the stationary shop for quills, ink, and parchment took less. At Flourish and Blotts it was very crowded and I knew I did not want to go in.<p>

Apparently my mother felt the same. "Take Gregory and get in line. You can get all the books while we get everything else Elaine needs," my mother ordered.

My father and brother headed into the store while my mother and I continued down the road. As I followed my mother's golden head away I glimpsed a sign. "No wonder it's so crowded, mother. Gilderoy Lockard is there," I said.

She nodded absently, "Madam Malkin's first."

We entered the shop and my mother spoke to Madam Malkin. Then I was put on a stool while she put my robes on and started to pin them. Even though I always knew I'd go to Hogwarts, I was secretly excited when I got my letter. I'd known since the time I had been playing in the rose garden when I was six-years-old and I had turned some red roses white, but the letter made it official.

"All finished," declared Madam Malkin. My mother thanked her as she paid and we moved on.

As we passed the Magical Menagerie someone stopped my mother to talk, so I looked in the window. I saw the most beautiful, dusky black kitten, with white paws. I put my fingers on the window and she put a paw on the inside of the glass, just where my fingers were.

"Elaine! Come along," my mother insisted. I let my eyes linger on the exquisite kitten just a second longer, then tore my gaze away to follow her. The little ebony kitten had captured my heart.

I drifted after my mother to Ollivander's, trying not to be pulled into the crowd. We glided into the shop- at least my mother did. I always felt clumsy around her. With her golden hair always perfectly done and her graceful step, she was the most beautiful person I knew. My hair was as golden as hers, but longer, down to my waist. This morning she had curled it meticulously in anticipation of our trip to Diagon Alley to buy my Hogwarts things. After fighting through all the crowds I felt wrinkled and my hair was windswept. My mother expected me to look my best, just as she herself always did. I tried very hard not to sigh because she still looked meticulous.

"Ah, Mrs. Goyle," greeted Ollivander, "Weren't you here just a year ago with your son?" My mother nodded and gestured me forward. "Your daughter, I presume? What is your name, dear girl?" he questioned.

"Elaine, sir," I murmured.

He nodded. "Come; let's see what you shall need."

He went and pulled a few boxes off the shelves and brought them to me. He handed me one, supplying the information, "Holly and dragon heartstring. Eight and a half inches." I swished it, but gave it back when Mr. Ollivander frowned.

"Oak and unicorn hair. Ten inches. Quite sturdy," he added. I waved it, but he took it back quickly. "That won't do!" he muttered.

He went to another shelf and scanned through the boxes. "I do believe this one will do the trick," he declared. "Willow and unicorn hair. Quite pliable. Ten and a half inches." I took it, holding it for a second, then waved it carefully. Wind swirled gently around me. "Yes," Ollivander smiled, "That is perfect. That didn't take long. I'm sure you are itching to finish your shopping. Have a nice day." We paid and left.

"We need to meet your father and brother at Flourish and Blotts now. They should have made it through that line," my mother announced. I nodded, but I had caught sight of the kitten in the window of Magical Menagerie. I almost ran into my mother before I realized she had stopped. "Your list says you may bring a cat, if you wish. We may as well see if we can find something suitable." she said briskly.

As we headed into the menagerie, I breathed, "Oh, mother! Thank you. May I have this one please?" I led her to the kitten.

"She'll do," she consented. In just a few minutes I was carrying her out the door in her small case.

We walked quickly to Flourish and Blotts in search of my father. I saw a pale boy enter the store as we approached it. To my surprise, my mother addressed the man about to follow him. "Lucius Malfoy," she announced, "It has been quite some time since I saw you last. That was your son Draco?"

"Yes, it was. How are you, Helen? Narcissa mentioned she saw you a few months ago. This must be your daughter, Elaine, is it? She looks just like you." Mr. Malfoy praised, tilting my chin up.

"You and your family must come to see us again soon," my mother insisted, as my father and brother walked out of the shop.

"Of course," Mr. Malfoy replied, nodding to my father, then he walked into Flourish and Blotts.

"Did you get all the books?" my mother asked, checking twice while my father nodded. "Good, we finished as well. Let's go home now; I believe I've had enough shopping for today. Let's head back to the Leaky Cauldron," she declared.

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><p><strong>So there it is! Again... Please review! I'd love your opinions, but no flames. Even if you don't like it, I really don't mind as long as you take the few seconds to explain. I'm always trying to be better. Thanks!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here's chapter 2. It's short; sorry, I was just trying to get something up. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Harry Potter or the character's from the books, but I do own Elaine Goyle and her kitten.**

**Elaine's POV  
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><p>Back at our manor, my father and mother helped me put all my new things in my room. My father left, but my mother stayed to help me pack. "Mother, I don't go to Hogwarts for a week," I protested.<p>

"It's never a bad thing to be prepared," she instructed. I nodded, and we started putting my books, robes, and other supplies in my trunk. We had closed my door and let my kitten out to explore. "Have you thought of a name for it yet?" she began.

"Umm... Selenia!" I answered.

My mother nodded absently. "Elaine, that man I was talking to in front of Flourish and Blotts was Lucius Malfoy," she explained. I nodded; I remembered his name. She continued, "I went to school with his wife, Narcissa. We were great friends. We met Lucius at the same time. He is a clever, powerful man, Elaine. If Narcissa had not married him, I would have. Find yourself such a man."

I nodded and murmured, "Yes mother." We finished packing my trunk in silence. "Thank you, mother," I said, as she left my room.

I looked at my violet walls, and saw Selenia on my grey desk, threatening to knock over the vase of white roses. I quickly picked her up to save my vase. "Let's take you outside, ok?" I crooned. Then I remembered what I was wearing. My mother would be upset if I got my white blouse and black slacks dirty. "Just let me change first, alright?" I amended.

I set Selenia on my white bedspread, admonishing her not to tear the grey lace. I went to the wardrobe and slipped out of my blouse, hanging it up carefully, and exchanging it for a lavender shirt. After trading my pants for jeans, I picked up Selenia, who had just begun sniffing the lace, and flitted out the door and down the stairs. I decided to go out the kitchen door, smiling at our house-elf as I went through.

Once outside, I stopped and whispered Selenia's name into her ear a few times, teaching it to her. Then I let her down and she crawled beneath a bush to scratch around and take care of her business. I let my mind wander to the people I had seen in Diagon Alley.

At the ice cream shop, I had seen two boys and a girl, all just older than me. One of the boys had bright red hair. I had also seen them at a few other shops. Then there was the red-haired girl I had seen coming out of the second-hand robes shop. She looked my age and had met my eyes as I followed my mother to Ollivander's. She had blushed and looked away in embarrassment. I had seen her and the other three talking to a pale boy in Flourish and Blotts as well. My thoughts touched on Mr. Malfoy, then moved back to the boy. What had his name been? Draco. Draco Malfoy. I wondered what he was like and if those boys were his friends.

Suddenly, Selenia shot out from under the bush and across the lawn. "No! Wait! Come back, Selenia!" I cried. She paused when I said her name. I tried again: "Selenia, come here." She started to come back slowly. I knelt down. "Come here, pretty girl. Come here Selenia," I coaxed. She walked up to me and I picked her up.

"You scared me," I scolded, as I walked the path to my favorite spot. I loved the rose gardens. They smelled so beautiful. I sat down on the bench in the center of the garden, underneath the weeping willow tree. "I'll let you back down if you promise not to run away again," I compromised. She mewed, so I let her down.

As she sniffed around, I thought about Hogwarts. My family assumed I would be in Slytherin, but I wasn't sure I wanted to be. I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw, they were all smart. I did not want to be in Hufflepuff because that's where the rejects went. I sat and daydreamed about it while my kitten played in the rosebushes.

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><p><strong>Nice and simple. Don't worry, you'll get a bit more out of chapter 3. I'll post it as soon as I finish typing it. Hopefully that means in the next hour or so. Please review, but again, no flames. Thanks!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here's chapter 3. It's longer than the others, I think. It's also the first chapter that hasn't actually been posted before.**

**I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters. Elaine Goyle and Selenia are mine, though.**

**Elaine's POV  
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><p>My mother wasted no time in sending an owl to the Malfoys to ask them to come for dinner. They had responded that they would, so the Sunday before we were to leave for Hogwarts they came for the evening.<p>

The doorbell rang while I was in the library and I heard my mother answer the door. I decided to go get Selenia from the kitchen where I had left her with instructions to the house-elf to give her any scraps. I was pretty sure my mother would make me stop, and I was right.

"Elaine, come greet our guests," she ordered. I obeyed, knowing it would save my trouble later.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Hello Draco," I nodded to them.

"She is very much like you, Helen. I confess I thought Lucius was exaggerating," Narcissa Malfoy declared. She prodded her son a step forward. He nodded to me slightly. I suddenly felt just a bit self-conscious in my navy blouse and pleated grey skirt.

To cover it I turned to my mother and asked, perhaps with a bit of haughtiness in my tone, "Mother, may I get Selenia and take her upstairs?" Her eyes narrowed slightly, and I realized my mistake. "Please?" I begged, with a little more humility.

"You may, and tell your father and Gregory that our guests are here," she insisted. I nodded and walked through the dining room into the kitchen.

There I found Selenia happily lapping at a bowl of milk. Our house-elf appeared to put it away when I picked her up. "Thank you for giving her the milk, Krumin," I told him. I had discovered at a young age that if I was nice to the house-elf, he would be nice in return. I had gotten more than one treat from this knowledge.

"The kitten is likin' the milk very much miss," he explained, bowing low. As usual, he wore a dirty piece of a sheet fastened around him like a toga.

"Is dinner ready?" I asked.

"It is being ready in a few minutes miss," he responded.

"Good, thank you Krumin," I praised as I walked back out.

I saw that my mother had taken the Malfoys into the sitting room. The boy looked bored. He was walking around looking at things as I whisked by.

Upstairs I knocked on Gregory's door. "The Malfoys are here," I called and scurried—my mother would have scolded me—down the hall to my father's study.

It was a tiny room; I couldn't imagine what he did in there. I carefully straightened my skirt and patted my hair. I knocked softly.

"Yes?" he grunted.

"Mother sent me to tell you the Malfoys are here," I answered.

He came out after a minute and grumbled, "Put that cat away."

I slipped down the hall mumbling, "Yes father."

I passed my mother's study and the bathroom, reaching my room and closed the door behind me. "Snuggle up" I told Selenia, putting her on my bed, "You'll be here awhile." I checked my hair and clothes in the mirror. I tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear, noticing how having my hair pulled back made my eyes look bigger. Then I hurried back downstairs to the sitting room.

I sat down in the window seat to listen to the conversation. They were talking about the Ministry of Magic. I picked up the book I had left there and began to lose myself in another world when my ears tuned in again.

"Speaking of Hogwarts, your daughter is starting this year, is she not?" Narcissa Malfoy confirmed, "She'll be in Slytherin, then?"

"We expect so," my mother admitted," It would be scandalous if she were in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

I noticed my brother and the Malfoy boy had stopped talking to listen. When my mother finished, the boy looked at me and grinned wickedly. I dropped my book in surprise, but was saved from embarrassment by Krumin appearing to announce that dinner was ready.

We all went into the dining room and were seated. I looked up to see the boy sitting across from me, but he wasn't looking at me. I listened as the conversation continued.

"What about Ravenclaw?" Mrs. Malfoy inquired.

"I suppose if she isn't in Slytherin then Ravenclaw is acceptable," my mother mused.

The two boys finished quickly, and soon I was done as well. It seemed forever before we were finally excused, but eventually my mother and Mrs. Malfoy went back to the sitting room while my father tood Mr. Malfoy into the library. My brother and the Malfoy boy had disappeared, so I danced upstairs to my room.

As I closed the door behind me, Selenia's head popped up from where she had been napping on my bed. "Shall we go outside?" I greeted, and she meowed in response. I picked her up and flew down the stairs and through the kitchen door. I put Selenia down; she would follow me when she finished under her bush.

I realized I hadn't picked up my book on my way out, so I walked slowly through the rose garden. Selenia reappeared and led the way across the grounds to a place she hadn't been yet.

I heard voices and realized that the boys must have gone to the open field to play Quidditch or catch. My kitten seemed very interested in the noise and the figures flying through the air as they came into view.

"I heard there is an opening on the Slytherin Quidditch team," the boy was saying, "Seeker, I believe. I want to try out. Don't you think I'd be a good Seeker?"

"Yeah," my brother blurted.

"If I make the team maybe my father will buy me a new broom," he mused. The he saw me and touched down. "Look, Goyle. It's your sister. By the way, I didn't even know you had a sister," he added.

I glared at him. "I've for a name, you know," I sneered. He ignored me and took off again.

I sat on a nearby bench to let Selenia explore. I was relieved when I heard my father calling us all in. I whistled softly and Selenia, recognizing the signal to come back, sauntered over and jumped into my lap. I carried her to the front door, where my parents and the Malfoys were standing.

"Now that Lucius is on good terms with the Minister I'm sure there would be nothing suspicious in renewing our friendship," Narcissa Malfoy decided.

"Good," my mother smiled, "We would enjoy seeing you more often."

Mrs. Malfoy nodded, "Come along, Draco."

When they were gone we all went inside. I collected my book and disappeared to my room with Selenia.

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><p><strong>So they meet for the first time. Not very nice to each other are they? Here's a sneak peak: the next chapter finds them at Hogwarts. Please review, I really want to know what you think, good or bad as long as you've got an explanation, just no flames. Thanks!<br>**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long. Lots of homework and I had to catch up. This chapter is the longest so far though. **

**And (as usual) I don't own Harry Potter and its characters, but I do own Elaine Goyle, her kitty, and any other characters I may have made up, but can't think of right now. **

**Elaine's POV  
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><p>I wheeled my trolley carefully through the throngs of people at King's Cross Station. I followed the broad back of my father so that I wouldn't get separated from my family. They stopped near platform nine.<p>

"You remember what to do, Elaine?" my mother questioned. I nodded and she gestured me forward.

I walked forward confidently, as if headed to platform ten, but instead went through the barrier between the two. My brother appeared behind me, followed after by my parents. As we weaved through the crowds, the Malfoy boy materialized at my brother's side.

"Where are your parents, Draco?" my mother prompted.

"Over there," he pointed.

"Yes, I see them. Gregory, show your sister where to put her trunk, then meet us by the Malfoys," she ordered.

Both the boys groaned as my parents walked away. I followed them onto the train; they helped me pull my trunk on, and started down the corridor after them.

When they stepped into a compartment the boy stopped to protest, "You can't come in here." I gave him my very best disgusted look.

"Like I'd want to," I scoffed. I continued on to the back of the train, finding an almost empty compartment at the end. "Do you mind if I sit here?" I asked timidly.

The girl looked up. "Of course not. I'm Luna Lovegood," she informed me.

"Elaine Goyle," I returned. I pulled my trunk in, and was surprised to see my brother and the Malfoy boy at the door.

"Mum said we were supposed to meet her. We'd better go back before the train leaves," Gregory grunted. I abandoned the trunk for now, assuring the girl I would put it up when I came back, and followed my brother back toward the front of the train.

When we got off there were only a few minutes left. I was surprised to see that people were still coming through the barrier. One was the red-haired girl I had seen in Diagon Alley.

We found our parents and they hugged us goodbye. "Write as soon as you can and tell us if you're in Slytherin," my mother made me promise. I assured her I would, and awkwardly hugged my father goodbye. We all climbed back on the train as the whistle sounded for any stragglers.

I walked down the corridor towards the back of the train and my compartment, and was slowed by some girls dragging their trunks.

"Keep going Ginny; there has to be some seats left," the taller girl urged. I was surprised to hear the Malfoy boy speak up behind me.

"What's wrong, Granger? Nobody wants a Mudblood sitting with them?" he mocked. I heard a squeak of outrage, but the brown-haired girl gave the shorter girl in front of her a little push.

"Ignore him," she insisted.

"Where's your friends? Potter and Weasley get sick of you?" he taunted.

"Just go, Ginny," the girl pleaded. The headed farther back as my brother and the Malfoy boy ducked into their compartment. I trailed behind them, and they stopped just outside my compartment.

"Excuse me," I murmured and slid in the door.

"Do you have extra seats?" the older girl practically begged.

"I think so," I agreed, "Can they sit here Luna?" She nodded and the girls gratefully dragged their trunks in.

Between the three of us we managed to get all the trunks settled in by Luna's. Then we all collapsed onto the seats.

The older girl sat up and said, "Well, let's all introduce ourselves. I'm Hermione Granger." I nodded and looked at the red-haired girl.

"Ginny Weasley," she declared.

"I saw you in Diagon Alley, didn't I?" I recalled. She looked confused for a minute, then her eyes brightened and she turned a little pink. "And I saw you together in Flourish and Blotts, with two boys. So the red-haired on is your brother then? 'Potter and Weasley' Draco said," I continued.

Ginny nodded, and Hermione spoke up, "You know Malfoy?" There was an odd note in her voice.

"Only a little," I admitted, "He's friends with my brother." Both the girls were now watching me intently, and even Luna had looked up from her strange magazine.

"What's your name?" Hermione demanded.

Pride made me raise my chin and sit a little taller. "Elaine Goyle," I enunciated.

"Goyle has a sister?" she blustered.

I raised an eyebrow and uttered, "Obviously."

"I'm sorry. It's just that you look nothing like him," she blushed.

"I look like my mother, everyone says," I explained.

She nodded, then turned to Luna and inquired," And you are?"

The girl put down her magazine to answer, "Luna Lovegood. What house are you in? I'm a first year, so I don't have a house yet."

"Gryffindor. Ginny's a first year too, but her brothers were all in Gryffindor, "Hermione informed us."Where are Harry and Ron? Do you think they found seats we missed?"

I gasped, "Harry Potter? You're friends with Harry Potter?"

Hermione announced, "Yes. He's in Gryffindor."

"My family was all in Slytherin. I'm not sure I'd like to be in Gryffindor, but it's better than Hufflepuff. I'm not even sure I'd like Slytherin, but don't tell anyone. I do like Ravenclaw well enough, though," I confided.

We talked about the virtues of all the houses as the train sped along, buying lots of candy off the cart at lunchtime. Selenia had woken up and meowed until I let her out, and she was fussed over all afternoon. When we were close we changed into our robes and the excitement kicked in. For the first years it was also a little scary. I shut Selenia back into her carrier as the train pulled into the station.

A voice called to leave our luggage so we all moved into the corridor. It was packed with students and we stayed close together. On the platform another voice called, "Firs' years, follow me! Firs' years!" The three of us followed a large man while Hermione went with the older students. "Have we got ev'ryone? Firs' years, c'mon. This way," he hollered.

"That's Hagrid," Ginny whispered, "He's the gamekeeper."

We all jumped when he boomed, "Only four to a boat, yeh hear me. No more'n four to a boat!"

We were followed into our boat by a boy with mouse-brown hair and a camera. He started talking immediately. "Isn't it amazing? I never even knew there was magic. I mean, I could do strange stuff, but I didn't think it was magic! I'm going to take a lot of pictures and send them home to my dad. I'm Colin Creevey." Ginny introduced us all, and then he started babbling on again. He only stopped when Hagrid bellowed, "FORWARD!" and the boats started floating slowly across the lake.

We sailed under a cliff and into an underground dock. We scampered up the steps, crowding around Hagrid as he knocked on the large, oak door. It opened immediately and standing there was a dark-haired witch who looked terribly strict.

"Firs' years Professor," Hagrid declared.

She nodded, "I'll take them now, thank you."

We followed her into a small room, where she gave a speech about Hogwarts and the houses. I employed my skills of listening and absorbing so that I would remember it later. She asked us to wait quietly, and then left.

"What kind of test, do you think?" Luna whispered.

"My brothers always tease about it being really hard," Ginny muttered.

"It can't be that hard or you would hear about people coming home all the time," I suggested. They nodded, and we all relaxed a little.

"Form a line. Come along now," said the witch when she came back. We followed her into the Great Hall and up to the front where she placed a ragged hat on a stool.

It seemed the whole room held its breath, then the hat burst into song. It sang about the houses and that we just had to put it on. When it finished I whispered, "Well that's easy."

The witch spoke, "I'm going to call your name, and you will sit on the stool and put on the Sorting Hat, which will sort you into your house."

She called a few people, but I didn't pay attention until she announced, "Creevey, Colin." The chatty boy moved forward, sat on the stool, and put on the hat. After a moment that hat called out, "Gryffindor!"

I let the witch's voice be drowned out again as she called more names.

Then I heard my own. "Goyle, Elaine." I straightened my shoulders and stepped forward, sitting on the stool and placing the hat gently on my golden curls.

A voice spoke quietly into my ear. "Ah, an interesting mind. You have some very Slytherin traits. You have been taught some very Slytherin principles, but have not necessarily accepted them. A very open-minded mentality, in many ways. Not so much in others. Intelligent, talented, and a definite thirst for knowledge. Of course, this is just the place for you."

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><p><strong>There we go! Lovely cliffhanger. Any guesses on which house she'll be in? Please review because I don't even know if anyone is following my story... Ouch, that's a hint to one's self-esteem. Oh well. No flames, por favor. Again to any readers, thanks!<br>**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Guess I just can't leave a cliffhanger that long... I have too much sympathy for ****readers going crazy with curiosity (because that's usually me). Not that I have that many readers to drive crazy. This one's really short, sorry guys. ****I'll work on getting the next few up this weekend. Hopefully. Lots of homework in store.**

**I still don't own the Harry Potter crowd, but (as usual) Elaine is still mine, along with her precious kitty.**

**Draco's POV  
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><p>"That's your sister isn't it," I snapped at Goyle.<p>

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"She'll be in Slytherin I expect," I concluded as her name was called. She sat down and put the hat on her head.

It took a minute or two and the hat pronounced, "Ravenclaw!"

I frowned, "What?"

"She was always too smart for her own good," Goyle rambled.

I was surprised. She should've been in Slytherin. I thought for a while until Goyle interrupted, "Malfoy. It's that girl she was with."

Professor McGonagall had just called, "Lovegood, Luna."

When she was sorted into Ravenclaw too I decided, "Crabbe, Goyle. Better keep an eye on your sister. Wouldn't want her to go finding the wrong sort of people. It would reflect badly on you, and that makes me look bad. What's her name again?"

Goyle croaked, "Elaine."

Finally, Professor McGonagall declared, "Weasley, Ginny," who was promptly put in Gryffindor, and the sorting ended.

As the feast began I scanned the tables. "Where's Potter and Weasley? I don't see them. Reckon they got expelled?" I smiled.

I saw Goyle's sister talking to the blond girl she sat with on the train and a prefect girl. I wondered fleetingly what bugged me about her being there.

We talked about Quidditch and summer vacation. I saw the prefects talking and explaining to the little first years as dessert appeared. When that too had disappeared I listened to the announcements Dumbledore gave about off limits areas, rules for the corridors, and Quidditch. Try-outs would probably be in a few days.

Then everyone was dismissed and I headed to the dungeons with a gang of Slytherins. We found a prefect to give us the password and continued on, heading through the wall into the common room. I checked the bulletins, which had an announcement for Quidditch try-outs on Friday after classes.

"D'you think my father would get me a new broom if I made the team?" I plotted with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Bet he would," Crabbe blathered.

I nodded and we headed to the dormitory for bed.

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><p><strong>So, how was the different POV? Was it easy to tell I'd switched, or were you confused? Please review; I'd love your opinions. Anyone surprised she's in Ravenclaw? Personally I think I made it predictable... No flames. Thanks!<br>**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Next bit. Enjoying it? This time I have a scene directly from the Chamber of Secrets, so the dialogue ****is straight out of the book in that scene, written by J.K. Rowling. **

**Harry Potter and characters are hers as well, except my original Elaine Goyle. And Selenia of course :)**

**Draco's POV  
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><p>The next day was miserable. Everyone was talking about Potter and Weasley. They had flown to Hogwarts in an enchanted car, and everyone knew about it. The only satisfaction I got was listening to the howler Weasley got from his mum.<p>

In Charms I couldn't get the spell right, and History of Magic seemed to last hours. At lunch I complained, "Nobody cares about history! Everyone sleeps through that class. What have we got next?"

Crabbe and Goyle looked at me stupidly. "Can't you read?" I jeered, reaching into my bag for my schedule. "Transfiguration," I moaned disgustedly.

As we headed out of the Great Hall I bumped into someone. "Watch where you're—Oh!" I exclaimed. I was looking into the dark blue eyes of Goyle's sister.

"Sorry, someone shoved me," she pouted, not sounding sorry at all.

"Move Elaine," Goyle growled. Her eyes narrowed.

"Come on, Goyle. Let's go," I ordered. We left her behind and I caught sight of Potter in a courtyard. "This way," I added to Crabbe and Goyle.

I saw a small boy with a camera and he was just finishing, "… you could sign it?"

I called, "_Signed photos? _You're giving out _signed photos, _Potter?" He looked at me, his dislike written all over his face.

"Everyone line up!" I proclaimed, "Harry Potter's giving out signed photos!" It felt good to let some of my frustration out, and I grinned as he reacted.

I heard a voice squeak, "You're just jealous."

"Jealous?" I scoffed. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."

Weasley yelled, "Eat slugs, Malfoy."

Behind me I heard Crabbe cracking his knuckles. "Be careful, Weasley," I sneered, "You don't want to start any trouble or your Mommy'll have to come and take you away from school." I imitated, "'If_ you put another toe out of line'—" _I heard laughter and continued, "Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter. It'd be worth more than his family's whole house—" I cut off as Weasley pulled out his wand.

I saw Professor Lockhart heading in our direction and heard Granger hiss, "Look out!" I decided it was a good time to leave.

"Crabbe, Goyle. Let's go," I muttered. We slipped away and headed back into the castle, up to the sixth floor.

"Did you see Potter's face when Lockhart showed up?" I laughed.

Professor McGonagall didn't look happy as we took our seats, even if we were just a few minutes late. "Fifteen points from Slytherin," she announced, then began the lesson.

My mood was not improved. We were supposed to be turning beetles into buttons. I only succeeded in turning my brown beetle black.

As class ended, McGonagall insisted, "Malfoy, up to my desk. I'd like a word with you."

I groaned. "Meet you in the common room," I told Crabbe and Goyle. I trudged up to McGonagall's desk.

"Late on the first day of class, Mr. Malfoy? Next time you'll have detention. I won't let you start bad habits in my class," she declared. I murmured something incoherent and collected my stuff.

I headed downstairs, my mind drifting to Quidditch try-outs on Friday. Someone walked out of the Hospital Wing as I approached. She looked up, probably at the sound of my footsteps. It was her again.

"Draco," she greeted me.

"Yeah um…" I voiced.

"Elaine," she supplied.

"What were you doing in the Hospital Wing?" I asked.

"A boy in my Charms class was messing around and poked me in the neck with his wand. When I started spitting smoke I was sent here," she explained. My eyes flicked to her neck as she spoke, noticing a small, dark bruise.

As I started down the corridor she followed. "All my books are still in the Charms classroom," she informed me. I nodded, but didn't say anything.

"There was a boy in the Hospital Wing, too. I think he was in Gryffindor. His name was Neville something, I believe," she mentioned.

"Longbottom? What did he do, fall down the stairs?" I grinned.

"No," she replied, almost frostily I thought, "It sounds like Professor Lockhart didn't know what he was doing. I had Defense Against the Dark Arts this morning, and he seemed slightly scatterbrained then as well."

She stopped, "My stuff is in here. Goodbye, then." She walked into the classroom before I could respond.

I continued down to the dungeons. I gave the password to the wall and walked into the common room.

"What'd McGongall want?" Crabbe pestered.

"Told me I'd get detention next time I was late. I assume that goes for you two as well," I shot back.

I headed to my dormitory to get my Comet Two-Sixty. "I'm going to practice," I called to Crabbe and Goyle.

"We'll come," Goyle grunted. We headed out to the Quidditch field to make the most of the afternoon.

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><p><strong>Ta-Da! They meet again. What do you think? Please review, I know people are reading (I checked the story stats), but I haven't gotten a single review yet. Come on people, I would love your input. No flames. Thanks!<br>**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Sorry this took me so long to post. I had three Choir performances this week, and I had to keep up with my school work. **

**Okay guys, 46 people have read this story, but not one has left a review. Please, please, please, please review! I'd really love your input.**

**As usual, I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, but I do own Elaine Goyle and Selenia.**

**Draco's POV  
><strong>

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><p>Over the next two days classes seemed to drag on forever. Gryffindor and Slytherin second years had Potions together again. My first Defense Against the Darks Arts lesson confirmed what Goyle's sister told me. Lockhart definitely was an idiot. When Herbology finally ended on Friday all the second year Slytherins stopped in the common room to clean up, then headed to lunch. Crabbe, Goyle, and I ate fast and then I retrieved my broom and headed out of the castle.<p>

As I walked to the group on the field I saw Crabbe and Goyle in the stands, and, to my surprise, Goyle's sister. Elaine; that was her name.

Marcus Flint was speaking when I joined the group. "Just fly around for a bit to start. Later we'll pull out a Snitch and some bludgers. I'll be pulling people out the whole time. If I send you out you're done. Any questions?" There were none. "Take off!" he hollered.

We all rose into the air, Flint following us, and started to zoom around the pitch.

It was quickly apparent that there wasn't much skill on the field. Flint sent about five people away in the first ten minutes. I flew lazily around the stands, confident that I would at least pass the flying part.

As I flew past Goyle's sister, I noticed her head was down, and she seemed to be writing something.

Flint called us all back in. There were only about ten people left. "I'm going to let out the bludgers now. Basically, you get hit, you're out. I'll let the Snitch out in ten minutes. Bole! Derrick! Got your bats? Good. Get in the air and hit those bludgers around. Take off!" he commanded.

Within two minutes the bludgers had already taken someone out. By the time ten minutes had passed four of the ten people were hit and sent away. While we searched for the Snitch two more were hit by bludgers, and one guy complained so much that Flint kicked him out. Only three of us were left.

I ducked as a bludger whizzed past my head. I hovered for a minute, and suddenly the Snitch was flitting around right in front of me. It was like it wanted me to catch it, so I snatched it. "That was way too easy," I protested.

I flew over to where Flint was and held up the Snitch, still fluttering in my hand. "I got it," I stated.

He looked shocked. "_You _got it?" he repeated.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"Those other guys must be worse than I thought," he fumed. I scowled.

He signaled everyone and we all landed. "Thanks for coming," he told the other two guys. He turned to me, "Practice starts tomorrow," he barked. Then he marched back to the castle, leaving Bole and Derrick to catch the bludgers and put them away.

Crabbe and Goyle met me as we left the field, with Goyle's sister trailing behind. She was reading something on a piece of parchment.

Partly curiosity and partly to raise my mood, I snatched it out of her hands.

"What's so important that you'd bring it while you're watching Quidditch try-outs?" I challenged.

"Give me my letter back," she demanded coolly, sounding as if she expected to be obeyed.

That wasn't the reaction I was looking for. I wanted to make her mad, so I read, "'Dear Mother,' Awww, writing to your mommy? Is the little first year homesick?"

Her eyes flashed, but her voice became more authoritative. "Give it back, Malfoy." That was the first time she used my surname.

I decided I'd gotten enough of a reaction to satisfy me, so I smirked and handed back the letter.

She snatched it from me and whirled to face her brother. "Gregory, will you show me where the Owlery is?" she insisted.

"He'll just get you lost," I warned. The spark in her eyes returned as she spun back around to face me.

"Why don't you show me, then," she retorted.

"Fine!" I snapped angrily, my temper getting the best of me.

She blinked. Crabbe and Goyle looked rather surprised. "I need to go there anyway, to tell my father I made the team," I justified. "Have you had Transfiguration yet?"

"Just before lunch," she responded, confusion evident on her face.

"Meet me on the sixth floor, by McGonagall's classroom, in ten minutes," I instructed.

As I walked back to the castle and down to the dungeons I started to regret my outburst. Giving first years a tour of the castle was not my idea of a good time, even for Goyle's sister.

At the dungeon wall I stopped to give the password. "Parseltongue."

I put my broom away and scribbled a note to my father on a piece of parchment. _I'm the new seeker. Can I have a new broom? Potter's got a Nimbus Two-Thousand so I'll need at least that. Practice starts tomorrow. Draco._

I headed up to the sixth floor to find her waiting quietly outside the Transfiguration classroom.

"Come on," I muttered, and she followed me wordlessly to the top of the West Tower. In the Owlery my eagle owl flew down and stuck out its leg.

"You have an owl?" she asked. When I stared at her she blushed. "Oh, of course you have an owl."

She called down a tawny owl, and I waited while she tied her letter to its leg. Watching her out of the corner of my eye so that she wouldn't notice, I puzzled over this strange girl. I knew I could control my temper better than I did at the Quidditch pitch. She wasn't going to get the better of me again, I vowed. The owl took off and we headed back into the main castle.

On the fifth floor a black and white kitten appeared and curled itself around Elaine's legs. "Selenia! I thought I left you in the common room," she gasped, picking the kitten up.

My mother liked cats, and I reached out and stroked the kitten's head.

"She seems to like you," Elaine frowned as the kitten purred under my fingers. "She doesn't like many people." She said goodbye and turned down a corridor while I continued down to the Great Hall for dinner.

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><p><strong>Got some interaction going on. Different perspectives, etc. Please review! And no flames. Thanks!<br>**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: The chapter is a little short, but the next one will be longer when I get it up. Still no reviews. Please, you guys, I want to know what you think.**

**Another scene from the book, dialogue by J.K. Rowling. **

**She owns the characters, except of course Elaine Goyle, who is mine.**

**Draco's POV  
><strong>

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><p>The next morning, after breakfast, Marcus Flint found me. "Professor Snape wants the Quidditch team in the common room before practice," he relayed. I headed there while he went off to tell the rest of the team.<p>

In fifteen minutes we were all there and Professor Snape announced, "I received these from Draco's father. One is for him and the rest are to be used by the team. I hear you have practice today?"

We were all gawking at the brooms my father sent. I wondered how he got them so fast. They were Nimbus Two-Thousand-and-Ones. Flint managed to tell Snape, "We would, but Gryffindor booked the pitch."

We were all grinning by now. "I'm sure this will remedy that," Snape reassured, scratching out a note on a piece of parchment.

Flint took it and smiled, "Get changed everyone. Let's try out these new brooms."

We all hurried to our dormitories and put on our emerald robes. Mine were a bit loose, but they would work. We headed out to the field.

Each of the Gryffindor players caught sight of us. The captain, Oliver Wood, hollered at us as the Weasley twins and Potter dismounted.

"Flint! This is our practice time! We got up specially! You can clear off now!"

Because I was behind them I didn't see Flint's grin, but I could hear it in his voice as he replied, "Plenty of room for all of us, Wood."

The rest of the Gryffindor team landed while Wood spluttered, "But I booked the field! I booked it!"

Flint elaborated, "Ah, but I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. '_I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker._'"

Wood immediately asked, "You've got a new Seeker? Where?"

I stepped up, grinning.

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's son?" one of the Weasley twins questioned.

Flint spoke again, "Funny you should mention Draco's father. Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team." We held out our brooms, broad smiles on our faces. Flint casually threw out a few details, "Very latest model. Only came out last month. I believe it outstrips the old Two-Thousands series by a considerable amount. As for the old Cleansweeps," he paused dramatically, "Sweeps the board with them."

We caught sight of someone walking across the field. "Oh, look. A field invasion," Flint complained.

Weasley and Granger walked up. "What's happening? Why aren't you playing? And what's _he _doing here?" Weasley blurted.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley. Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team," I bragged. His mouth dropped open. I continued, "Good, aren't they? But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

My team started laughing, and Granger snapped, "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy _their way in. _They _got in on pure talent."

Her comment made me furious, so I lashed out. "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood." There was instant chaos and Flint jumped in front of me so the Weasley twins didn't tackle me.

"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" Weasley threatened. He pointed his wand at me and I tensed, but his wand backfired and knocked him over.

Granger shrieked, "Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" He burped and a bunch of slugs poured out of his mouth.

The whole team collapsed, laughing. I fell to my knees, my ribs aching from lack of air.

He was blocked from view by the rest of the Gryffindors until Potter and Granger dragged him away. The Gryffindor ream left after that, all shooting us dirty looks.

Flint managed to pull himself together. "I guess we'll keep you around after all Draco. Your father treats us well, and it's very good for entertainment." He sent us to work and we spent the rest of the morning flying.

After trying out our brooms we trained, and it was tiring and uninteresting. Flint had us dodging bludgers, and sent me after the Snitch over and over again. When we finally headed back to the castle we were all exhausted.

I found Crabbe and Goyle and sat between them, so tired that eve telling them about Weasley belching slugs was only a little entertaining. After that we headed back to the common room for the afternoon.

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><p><strong>So, what do you think? Please review, no flames. Sneak Peek: Next chapter goes back to Elaine's point of view.<br>**


	9. Chapter 9

**UPDATED VERSION 7/28/14**

**I added something and changed it a little bit. **

**As always, I don't own Harry Potter and characters, etc. But Elaine, Selenia, and the other characters I created are mine :)**

**Elaine's POV**

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><p>The next morning I had a response to the letter from my mother. She must have written back to me the same evening. She heard that I was doing quite well in my classes, especially potions. She was glad I was doing well, and she asked after Selenia.<p>

In response to my descriptions of the other first years, she wrote _It seems to me that you have been rather aloof with the other students your age. Perhaps it would be beneficial to your standing if you were to interact with them. Help them in their classes. Gossip with them a bit. If you can earn their trust they may be useful to you during your school years. All except that Lovegood girl. She is, as you say, "full of nonsense." Do not interact with her. Use your intelligence. It is a valueable trait in the Ravenclaw house, no doubt why you were sorted there. Others will admire you for it. It will be to your credit._

She was right of course. I would learn much more with multiple eyes and ears. Although I wasn't sure it was worth putting up with the other silly first years, I would heed my mother's advice and "make friends."

And so I spent Saturday morning in the Ravenclaw common room with Ainslee doing all our homework. We finished the Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration work we had received. We went to the Great Hall for lunch, but ate quickly.

"Let's go get Selenia and spend some time outside," I suggested. Ainslee agreed, so we headed back to the common room to get my kitten.

I called for her, but she didn't come out. We searched for her everywhere, even getting one of the first year boys to check the boys' dormitories.

"She must have slipped out again," I fretted. We headed back down to the Great Hall, calling for Selenia as we descended. Ginny walked out of the Great Hall just then.

"Hi Elaine. I'm Ginny. What's your name?" she asked Ainslee, brightly.

"Ainslee. Nice to meet you. What house are you in?" Ainslee responded.

"Gryffindor. What are you doing?" she asked.

"We can't find my kitten," I worried.

"Oh no! Would you like some help?" She offered.

"Of course. Thanks," I accepted.

We decided that Ainslee and Ginny would go back to the upper floors while I went down to the dungeons. If we couldn't find her we would meet up and check the grounds.

I headed down to the dungeons of my own. I had only ever been to the Potions classroom, so I wandered a little bit, calling for Selenia. A few minutes later I realized I wasn't sure where I was. I continued down a few more corridors and finally heard some voices. I followed them, and turned the corner to find my brother, Draco Malfoy, and their friend Crabbe.

"What are you doing down here?" Gregory demanded.

"Looking for her." I nodded at Selenia, who was hissing at him.

"How did she get down here?" he grumbled.

I watched my kitten curl herself around Draco's legs as I guessed, "Someone must have let her out of my common room. I don't know why she came all the way down here." I called her and she trotted over, quite pleased with herself. I picked her up.

"Better keep an eye on her until she can take care of herself," Draco warned. I looked at him. Was that a threat? Then I remembered how he stroked her head yesterday, and realized he might mean it.

He gestured down the corridor, dismissing me. I followed his direction, as I had no idea where I was, and found myself in the corridor leading to the Potions classroom. I headed back up to the ground floor, finding Ginny and Ainslee there.

"What took you so long?" Ainslee asked.

"Yeah, we were about to come looking for you," Ginny chimed in.

I held up Selenia and explained, "I got lost. You wouldn't believe how many dungeons are down there. Then I ran into my brother and his friends. Selenia was with them."

"Malfoy?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," I responded. "We should take Selenia outside. Maybe she won't disappear as much if she gets more exercise."

They agreed, so we strolled outside and found a nice tree to sit underneath. I let Selenia wander around, hoping she wouldn't go far.

"How were your classes?" Ginny began.

"They're interesting. I think Potions will be fun. I don't know about Charms though. I spent most of the class in the Hospital Wing," I mused. I told Ginny about getting poked in the neck. "I met a Gryffindor boy while I was there. Neville Longbottom, I believe. Do you know him?" I concluded.

"A little. Do you know why he was there?" she added.

"He said he was hung on the chandelier by some pixies, I think," I responded.

"Pixies? How can pixies hang someone on a chandelier?" Ginny wondered.

"Some pixies are stronger than they look," Ainslee added. I had almost forgotten she was there. She was very quiet sometimes.

"He said Lockhart let them out," I mentioned.

"Oh, I guess he might have done that. What did you think of Lockhart?" Ginny prompted.

"He doesn't seem to know what he's doing, does he?" I questioned.

"I thought so too," Ginny confirmed.

"But half the school is in love with him because of his books," I complained. We sat for a second in silence before Ginny picked up the conversation again.

"I think Transfiguration will be fun. McGonagall's strict, but I don't mind. Oh, speaking of which, I should probably go. I have to do all my homework," Ginny groaned. She said goodbye and headed back to the castle.

Ainslee spoke up, "Look, there's some of the girls from Hufflepuff. I met some of them on the train. Do you want to come talk to them with me?"

I stared at her. I was barely willing to talk to the Ravenclaw first years, let alone Hufflepuffs.

I wrinkled my nose and mumbled, "I'll pass. I have something I need to…" I whistled and Selenia followed me as I sailed back to the castle.

In the courtyard I picked her up. "Getting to know Ravenclaw first years is hard enough isn't it? I just don't have the patience for that and Hufflepuffs in one day," I murmured. Selenia meowed in response.

I entered the castle, intending to go back to the common room. On the fourth floor I turned a corner to find Professor Flitwick staggering down the hall under that weight of a broad, dark-skinned boy who was unconscious.

"Miss Goyle," he puffed, "Would you be so kind as to…?" I quickly glanced around for some reason to refuse, but found the corridor deserted. Everyone must have been outside or holed up in their common rooms.

I dropped Selenia, grabbed the boy's left arm, and placed it around my shoulder, annoyed with the delay this would cause me. Together we managed to drag the familiar boy—I thought he was in Ravenclaw—down the stairs and through the corridors to the Hospital Wing.

Madam Pomfrey hurried over and directed us to an empty bed. The three of us lifted him into the bed.

Professor Flitwick proceeded to explain, as he caught his breath, that a couple of boys in the common room were playing with their wands. He then excused himself to go discipline the other boys.

I stood awkwardly for a moment, then curiosity got the better of me. "Are you going to use a potion to wake him up?" I questioned Madam Pomfrey. She glanced up, surprised I was still there.

For a moment she was just going to send me out, but she didn't. Instead she explained, "There's no need. I'll just make sure he isn't hurt and let him wake up on his own. Do you have an interest in healing?"

I mentally wrinkled my nose at the thought, but only stated, "Not really, but I do like potions."

She nodded, and bent to check on the boy. "You can go now," she dismissed.

As I left I remembered Selenia. I was up two flights of stairs in a flash, and found her sitting patiently outside the entrance to the common room. I answered a riddle and entered with Selenia at my heels.

Professor Flitwick was lecturing two boys in one corner, so I avoided that side of the room.

"Elaine!" called a small, curly-haired first year. I drifted over.

"Where's that other girl? The odd one you met on the train," she continued.

"Nandra Robards!" scolded Ainslee Knight, a sandy-haired girl. "You shouldn't say such things," she admonished, grey eyes intense.

Nandra frowned, "Well she is! Anyway, Elaine, did you hear? Emery got—"

"Taken to the Hospital Wing? I know," I cut in.

"How?" Nandra gasped, her dark green eyes wide.

"I saw him," I muttered, not wanting to mention that I dragged him halfway there.

"Saw who?" demanded Radburn Allen, the first year who had helped search for Selenia earlier that day. The boys joined us, now that Flitwick was finished with them.

"Emery," Ainslee offered.

"You saw Emery? Is he okay?" Radburn asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, I think so," I stammered. "I have to go do, um, something… important." I fled to my dormitory, grabbing the first book I touched, grateful to get away from the crush of people. Settling onto my four-poster bed, I holed up to spend the rest of the afternoon reading my old copy of _Tales of Beedle the Bard_.

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><p><strong>So that's that. Please review!<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Sorry this one is so short. I decided I'd put it up today for that reason. I've got finals this week, but then I'll be off for Christmas Break so hopefully I'll get more work done.**

**Fun Fact: Chapter 7 has less visitors than Chapter 8. Apparently some people read 8 and not 7. My advice would be read the whole story; it probably makes more sense that way.**

**I don't own Harry Potter and characters. However, this chapter introduces a few more first years of my own. All the guys and are my creations and I own them, along with Elaine and her Ravenclaw friends (except Luna of course!). And Selenia is mine too!**

**Elaine's POV  
><strong>

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><p>Monday came back around after an uneventful Sunday. Charms was much easier now that the boys had learned not to play with their wands.<p>

After leaving History of Magic with—miraculously- three pages of notes on dead, forgotten witches and wizards, I headed to the Great Hall with Ainslee for lunch. Nandra trailed behind with Radburn arguing over sharing notes with the people who fell asleep. Luna had managed to get the other two boys to listen to her talk about some strange creature her father wrote about in his magazine.

When I found out that her father owned the Quibbler, I tried to avoid her and barely tolerated her when I couldn't get away. My mother would have died of shame if she knew.

There was a group of first years just outside the Great Hall. Two of the boys were dirty; I suspected they had just finished Herbology. All of the boys except one were taller than me. One of them glanced over, his eyes looking startlingly green in his dirt-covered, tan face. "Radburn!"

"Hey Kalen," he acknowledged. Nandra caught up with us.

Kalen asked, "Did you know Harry Potter is here? He's in Gryffindor; I've seen him!" I stopped.

"Did he say Harry Potter?" Ainslee whispered. I nodded and we hovered between the group of boys and the Great Hall. Luna joined us too.

"He and his friend flew a car to Hogwarts. And you should hear what he did last year. They're saying he defeated You-Know-Who!" Kalen continued.

"Um, I don't know who," Emery complained.

"No, THE You-Know-Who," Kalen emphasized.

"What you mean 'THE' You-Know-Who?" voiced Jackson Grace, the bronze-haired Ravenclaw.

"Muggle borns, right? There's this really bad wizard…" began a blue-eyed boy I didn't recognize.

We walked into the Great Hall. "Harry Potter beat You-Know-Who again? But I thought he was dead," Nandra fretted.

"He is," Ainslee reassured, as we reached the Ravenclaw table. "We don't even know if it's true. We'll just have to find out more."

Nandra nodded. "Did you hear flying lessons start on Thursday…?"

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><p><strong>Ginormous (is that actually a word? It didn't put a red line under it for spell check...) hint at the end there. Yes, the Flying Lesson is in the next chapter. I now have a total of 1 reviews (besides my wonderful brother's. *cringe*I can't believe I put that on the internet for the world to read. Which bring my true total to 3) so please review people. I'd love your input, opinions, and if you notice any typos. No flames. Thanks!<br>**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Here is the next chapter with the promised Flying Lesson! And we get to see a bit of our favorite Poltergeist. **

**Chapter 7 still has one less visitor than Chapter 8. For those of you who care. I also have over 100 visitors to the story (by one!).**

**I don't own Harry Potter or its characters. Elaine Goyle, Nandra Robards, Ainslee Knight, the Ravenclaw boys, and the Hufflepuffs are mine. And Selenia, who is not featured in this chapter.**

**** I added a few things to this chapter that I felt would help develop the characters.** So it's slightly different. Here you go!  
><strong>

****Elaine's POV**  
><strong>

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><p>The next morning was Transfiguration, followed by Potions. "I can't find my quill!" Rad fumed, digging in his bag as we headed to class.<p>

"You don't really need it, do you?" Nandra asked distractedly, holding on to Jackson's bag as he shoved through the crowds.

Ainslee grimaced, "McGonagall always has us take notes before we start. You'd better get it; I'll go with you."

They headed back and I sighed. "What's wrong, Elaine?" asked Emery.

I thought of all the things that were bothering me. "Nothing," I clipped.

"Oh, a bunch of little first years trying to get through the crowd?" A Slytherin sixth year had stopped in front of us, blocking our way.

"Leave us alone. We're going to be late for class!" Nandra cried. The older student laughed in her face. "You're just a big bully!" she announced.

Annoyed, I pushed up past Nandra and Jackson. "Move," I demanded. He looked me up and down.

"And who are you to order me around?" he sneered.

I pulled out my wand. "Elaine Goyle. Don't make me ask twice," I ordered, feeling my face slip into a glare.

"I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget-" he began.

"Petrificus Totalus," I interrupted. His arms and legs snapped together and he fell over. I leaned over. "Have fun telling the teachers you got hexed by a first year," I hissed. Then I continued down the corridor.

At the end I stopped and turned around. "Are you coming?" I drawled impatiently. The rest of the Ravenclaws hurried after me.

"Wow, Elaine! That was awesome!" Nandra gushed.

"I still haven't gotten that spell right," muttered Emery.

Jackson just nodded and said, "Thanks."

We hurried off to Transfiguration. Rad and Ainslee slipped in just as class was starting. "Found it," he whispered out of the side of his mouth at me.

"Good for you," I muttered.

"Elaine hexed a sixth year," Nandra said quietly.

"She WHAT?!" he burst out.

"Mr. Allen. Do you have something you would like to share with the class?" Professor McGonagall asked pointedly.

"No, Professor," he blushed. "Then I'll continue. Now, to turn a button into a..."

"You'll have to tell me everything later," Rad breathed.

As I expected Transfiguration was uninteresting, but took focus. Afterward Nandra, Ainslee, and I headed down to the dungeons. Luna had disappeared, muttering something about her made-up creatures.

On the first floor we caught sight of Peeves, and I knew we were in trouble. The stories of Peeves tormenting the first years were legendary. Ainslee whispered, "Walk faster! Maybe we can blend in with the older students."

"Maybe you can," retorted Nandra, who was a head shorter than me. We latched onto a group of third years who seemed to be headed out to the grounds. It didn't work.

"Oh, the ickle-firsties trying to hide?" he mocked. I felt a tug on my bag, so I turned around. Peeves had snatched my potions book.

"Go on. I'll be along in a minute," I told Ainslee.

"Did the ickle-firsty lose her book?" he taunted.

"Give me my book Peeves," I ordered.

"Bossy little girl," Peeves cackled. "Bossy girls don't get their books back!" He blew a raspberry at me and zoomed away.

I hurried down the two flights of stairs to the dungeon used for the Potions class. Everyone stared at me when I entered and approached Professor Snape's desk.

"Yes Miss…?" he prompted.

"Elaine Goyle," I supplied.

"Goyle?" he repeated.

I nodded, "My brother is in Slytherin."

"And I'm sure you have an excuse for your tardiness," he challenged.

"Peeves stole my potions book, sir," I explained.

He looked at me for a moment, then stood. "You will continue to work on your potions. Come, Miss Goyle. Let us retrieve your potions book." He swept out of the room and I quickly followed.

"Where was it?" he asked as we reached the ground floor.

"We were on the first floor, sir, but he flew off and I'm not sure where he went," I admitted. We reached the corridor on the first floor.

"Here, sir," I directed, "and he went in that direction."

Professor Snape led the way, and as we reached the end of the corridor a thump sounded from a nearby classroom. I turned the corner and opened the door. Inside the unused classroom, Peeves had the chalkboard turned on its side and was placing my potions book on it. Then he spun the board as hard as he could, sending the book flying into the wall.

Professor Snape stepped into the room behind me. "Accio potions book," he muttered. The book flew across the room and into his hands. He passed it to me. "If you steal a student's possession again I'll have the Bloody Baron follow you around the castle," he threatened Peeves, whose eyes widened. I smirked at Peeves as Professor Snape stalked out the door.

When I caught up to my potions professor I quizzed, "When do we learn to do that?"

"Do what?" he restated.

"Make things come to us," I clarified.

"Summoning Spells? Probably third or fourth year," he supplied. I mulled that over as we descended the two floors to the potions dungeon.

I sat in the only seat left, by Luna, and murmured, "What are we doing?"

"Page twenty; Napping Nectar," she replied.

I got to work quickly, worrying over the time I had lost. Half an hour later I had caught up to Luna and the rest of the class. I was even ahead of some of the Hufflepuffs.

Professor Snape stalked around the class, glancing at the progress we were making and commenting. Upon reaching me and Luna he stopped. "I see you have caught up to the class Miss Goyle," he declared.

"Yes sir," I chimed.

"Good work," he complimented.

That afternoon when I entered the common room I saw all the first years clustered around the notice board. I joined them and asked Ainslee, "What is it?"

"Flying lessons start Thursday. We're with Hufflepuff," she announced.

"Joy…" I muttered. Hoping to use the commotion to avoid telling Rad the story- I knew that no matter who told him, he'd be determined to hear it from me- I tried to slip into the girls' dormitory unnoticed.

It didn't work. "Elaine!" called Rad. "You never told me what happened."

"I never said I would," I countered. His face fell and I sighed. "A Slytherin sixth year got in our way. I hexed him."

"A sixth year?! What'd you use?" he practically yelled.

"Shhh!" I hissed. "Do you want to get me in trouble?"

"Sorry," he whispered, contrite. "What'd you use?"

"Full Body-Bind Curse."

"Awesome!"

Having given him all the details I was willing to share, I fled upstairs and heard him asking Nandra for the finer points of the story.

I was nervous about flying lessons. As it got closer I dreaded it a little more. Flying was not my thing. I had been on my brother's broom once or twice when I was younger and I preferred to keep my feet on the ground.

On Thursday we headed out to a field on the grounds to find a group of brooms on the grass.

"Pick a broom and stand by it!" ordered Madam Hooch, the flying teacher. We followed her directions, and then stood waiting while the Hufflepuffs crossed the grounds to the field. Madam Hooch repeated her instructions and they scrambled into place.

"Now, put your hand over your broom and say, 'up!'"

"Up!" I blurted with the rest of the class.

To my complete astonishment the broom leapt into my hand. I looked up to see that Nandra, Jackson, and one or two of the Hufflepuffs also had their brooms in hand.

After showing each of us how to mount and hold the broom, she declared, "I am going to blow my whistle, and you will kick off hard from the ground. You'll float up a few feet then lean forward just a bit to come back down. Ready?" She blew her whistle and we followed her instructions. Or tried to.

Only a few people made it off the ground. I was one of those who didn't.

"Try again," ordered Madam Hooch.

I sighed. Then I kicked off harder. The broom rose maybe two inches before I leaned forward in fright. The class kept at it until all of us had successfully completed the exercise.

"Good work class. We'll practice that again next time. Now we are going to move on to flying forward and stopping," Madam Hooch commanded. She explained how and helped us, but we made less progress this time.

Finally class was called to an end. "You made progress today," Madam Hooch announced. "Class dismissed."

As we clattered back to the castle, I caught sight of my brother with his friends. Draco was snickering. I stalked by them, pretending they didn't exist.

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><p><strong><strong>Ah-ha! We discover a weakness... Rivalries are expanding. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! If I had one review for every twenty readers I would have 5 reviews by now, and I don't. And I know one person has reviewed multiple times. Please and thank you? No flames. Thanks!<strong>**

**Who can tell what's new? Review please :) Sorry I haven't put anything up in so long. Christmas Break is soon; I'll see what I can do then. Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Next chapter! Christmas Break is my best friend :) I actually have time to work with my stories without feeling guilty about ignoring my school work. **

**So Chapter 7 finally caught up to Chapter 8 for visitors, but it didn't pass it. Chapter 1 now has over one hundred visitors. **

**I think I reached 5 reviews as well, but that's only because one person keeps reviewing. Come on guys, leave me some reviews please!  
><strong>

**I don't own Harry Potter or its characters. Elaine Goyle, Nandra Robards, Ainslee Knight, Radburn Allen, Jackson Grace, and Emery Paulson (The Ravenclaw gang) are all characters of my creation. And, of course, Selenia.**

**Elaine's POV  
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><p>At Hogwarts life was different from my home. Instead of keeping myself company, I lived and slept with three other girls. I also had my classes and lots of homework to keep me busy. But after eleven years of being my own best friend, it was difficult to adjust to being surrounded by so many people.<p>

I escaped by curling up in chair with one of my books. I found if I ignored people long enough they would leave me alone. The other Ravenclaws learned to give me my space.

On one of these occasions, mid-October, I was tucked in a blue armchair with my potions book. There was a loud crack, and I looked up to see one of the stones in the wall cracked in two. Emery and Jackson Grace were staring at Radburn.

"Wha—I didn't—It wasn't me!" he stammered.

"Well if it wasn't you, who was it?" Emery countered.

"Guys, it doesn't matter who it was. If Flitwick finds out we'll all be dead," Jackson reasoned.

I sighed, "I can fix it."

They all watched as I walked over to the stone and pulled out my wand. I saw a tiny roll of parchment and pulled it out from between the two pieces of stone. I tucked it into my robes and uttered, "Reparo!" The stone mended, leaving the wall looking exactly how it was before it broke.

"Wow!" breathed Emery.

"Thanks," Jackson replied.

Radburn crowed, "That was awesome! You're the best, Elaine!"

I rolled my eyes and settled back into my chair.

As Ainslee and Nandra discouraged the boys' hero worship, I slid the parchment out of my robes and onto the pages of my potions book. It looked very old and I unrolled it carefully.

After reading a few lines I stopped. It was a letter.

Very gently I closed it into my book and hurried into my dormitory. I sat down on my four-poster bed and closed the blue hangings. Then I opened the book and read the letter.

It said: _Rowena, When you read this I will be gone. Of all the other founders you were the most open-minded; the most likely to take my side. For that I will tell you this: there is a secret chamber hidden in the school. Only I, or one of my descendents can open it. If you do not accept Mudbloods into your house then your students will be safe. This is my warning to you. The monster in the chamber will only listen to me, or my descendent. Listen to me; this is your only warning. Salazar Slytherin_

As I sat paralyzed on my bed, my eyes quickly skimmed over the lines again. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, felt my muscles unclench from their frozen position, and one thought crossed my mind.

The library.

After storing the letter in a safe place, I tore down the stairs and raced through the common room, leaving the other first years with the impression that I was mad. In the corridors I slowed my speed to a less frantic pace, so I wouldn't be delayed if I met Filch or any teachers.

Once in the library I searched diligently until I found the book. I sat at a table with _Hogwarts, A History _to see if I could find something that would be of use.

I heard footsteps behind me, and when they stopped I looked up into the face of Draco Malfoy.

"What are _you _doing here?" I sneered, surprised at the venomous undercurrent to my voice.

"Isn't it obvious? I need a book to do my school work. What else is a library for?" he taunted.

"Finding the truth," I muttered, looking down.

"Why are you reading about the Chamber of Secrets?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

I slammed the book shut. "I was just curious," I lied. A thought struck me. "I heard a rumor that Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who last year. Is that true?"

Draco's face darkened. "He's talked about like such a hero. Potter this and Potter that. He's just a show-off!" he fumed, then stalked away. Well that was one way to get rid of him. He hadn't answered my question, though.

When I returned to the common room with the library book tucked under my arm Nandra exclaimed, "All that for a book?"

"Must be some book," Radburn teased.

I ignored both of them, heading back to my dormitory to read and ponder in peace.

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><p><strong>Plot development! I'd like to thank my sister for her brilliant idea that inspired this chapter. We have this little system. If she gets stuck, I give her an idea; if I get stuck, she gives me an idea. Neither of us could keep writing without the other sometimes :) Can anyone guess who the comic relief is? Please review everyone! 124 people have read this story. 2 have reviewed, and one of those was Anonymous. No flames. Thanks!<br>**


	13. Chapter 13

**UPDATED VERSION 8/14/14**

**I added a section. Not super important to the story, strictly speaking, but a fun little piece with one of our favorite characters.**

**As always, I don't own Harry Potter and characters, etc. But Elaine, Selenia, and the other characters I created are mine :)**

**Elaine's POV**

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><p>Because I settled into my classes well I had a lot of time to consider the letter I had found.<p>

I knew it was from Salazar Slytherin to Rowena Ravenclaw. Had she found it? If she had, why would it still be in the wall? She must not have found it. In that case…

Should I tell someone? It seemed to be the most obvious thing to do, but I also felt a selfish desire to keep it to myself. But if anyone found out I was hiding the only known confirmation of the Chamber of Secrets I could be punished, even expelled!

I had to tell someone.

And that was how I found myself slowly packing up my potion ingredients on the last Thursday of October before lunch, so that I would be the only one left in the classroom.

When the last few Hufflepuffs were finally gone I glanced up, and slowly approached Professor Snape's desk. Nervous, I quietly cleared my throat.

"Professor," I breathed.

"Yes, Miss Goyle?" he acknowledged, while writing on a piece of parchment.

"I found this, sir," I hesitated, "in the Ravenclaw common room."

He glanced up. "In the Ravenclaw common room? Perhaps it would be better to show your head of house, then."

I held out the letter. "I thought you should see it first, sir. Then you can show it to whoever you like."

He took it and opened it carefully and read it. Then he stared at me intently.

"Thank you, Miss Goyle, you may go," he dismissed.

I nodded and scampered to grab my belongings, then rushed out of the dungeons to the brightly lit ground floor.

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><p>I was surprised one Saturday to run into Hermione Granger.<p>

It had been pouring all morning and was miserable wet outside, but I couldn't stand being in the common room with the other students any longer.

Even Selenia, who was curled up under my four-poster in my dormitory, had declinged to come outside with me. The wind was like ice, and though I was doing my best to ignore it, my hands were slowly losing feeling inside my gloves.

That was when I saw her. I was surprised to see another person out in this weather, let alone a familiar face.

"Well hello," she greeted me. "Aren't you that girl from the train? Goyle's sister? Elaine?"

"Yes," I acknowledged.

"You look cold. Come here, let me show you something," she instructed. She opened her robes to reveal a little blue fire held in a glass jar. "Take this. I'm going back in, and I can make plenty more. Just- They aren't- Strictly speaking they may not be, you know, _allowed. _Because magic isn't allowed in the corridors, but-"

"I understand," I interrupted.

"They're easy to make. Just point your wand into the jar and say _Flarus Azurus. _I better go. Goodbye." She rushed off.

I tucked the little jar into my robes and sighed as my fingers began to warm up. I would definitely perfect this spell in the future.

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><p><strong>There you go. The short chapter grew a little bit! Please review if you like the story. I get very few reviews (even before I got interrupted by life).<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. I meant to get it up a couple of days ago; sorry I didn't. **

**So now, Chapter 13 has three more visitors than Chapter 12. You guys, my readers, are awesome, but the story makes a ton more sense if you read the chapters in order :)**

**This has another scene you should recognize, so the dialogue is, again, straight from the book. If you've already read this chapter, I'm just fixing it. Nothing has changed; I just italicized a few words because they were that way in the Chamber of Secrets book.  
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**I don't own Harry Potter or its characters. Elaine Goyle and her friends (minus the ones from the book) are my creations. And Selenia, as always.**

**Draco's POV  
><strong>

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><p>"One detention and my father already knows about it," I moaned. My father found out about everything, and he was especially annoyed that a Mudblood like Granger was beating me in all my classes.<p>

"Why does it matter, Malfoy?" mumbled Crabbe, who was sitting in a green armchair in the Slytherin common room with me.

"'Why does it matter?'" I seethed. "Don't you know anything?"

Goyle grunted, "Come on Malfoy. We don't want to miss the feast."

"All you ever think about is food," I complained. "Is your sister as bad as you are?" I joked.

He scowled, "All she ever does is read her silly books and play with that stupid cat of hers."

I raised an eyebrow. So she was a reader. Maybe a know-it-all like Granger. At least she wasn't a Mudblood though. "Do you want to go to the feast or not?"

We headed upstairs to the Great Hall. The Halloween Feast was just starting, filling the hall with delicious smells.

At the Slytherin table Crabbe and Goyle forced a couple of giggling first years to move.

"Thanks Malfoy. I thought I'd never get away from them," drawled a familiar, arrogant voice.

"Well, I'd say anytime Nott, but I don't really have time to follow you around and scare off first years. Maybe you should find some thugs to back you up," I replied offhandedly.

He smirked, "Maybe I would, if you hadn't gotten them first."

I helped myself to a little bit of everything closest to me, quickly filling my plate.

Theodore Nott was one of the few people I considered an equal. He was clever and did well in all his classes. As a result we constantly attempted to one-up each other.

He asked about the Quidditch team's new brooms and how they flew. Inevitably, we continued talking about Quidditch.

Someone gently cleared her throat, causing me to look up. Elaine was standing behind Nott's left shoulder. "What do you want?" I groaned.

She surprised me by smiling directly at me. "Not you," she chimed.

Nott's eyes widened as he looked at her, then back to me. He snorted, "Ouch, Malfoy."

She rolled her eyes. "Gregory, Mother sent this with my letter."

He took the piece of parchment with his name on it, stuffing it in his robes. "Get lost, Elaine," he growled.

She glared, turned on her heel, and stalked back to the group of first years at the Ravenclaw table.

I thought I'd be able to return to my dinner in peace, but I should've realized it would never happen. We were in Slytherin, after all. They laughed at Goyle for the rest of dinner, teasing him about his sister and the letter.

After dessert we headed out of the Great Hall, and I was in a foul mood.

We noticed a crowd gathering in one of the corridors, and headed to investigate. "Let's get to the front," I commanded. Crabbe and Goyle shoved through the crowd while I followed.

At the front I took in the scene. Potter, Granger, and Weasley were standing in the middle of the corridor. Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, was hanging by her tail, stiff as a board. There was blood on the wall, spelling out _The Chamber of Secrets has been opened._

I read the next part out loud, "'Enemies of the heir, beware!' You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

There was a commotion behind me and I turned to see Filch shoving through the crowd. "What's going on here? What's going on?" he wheezed. It was only a minute before he saw Mrs. Norris.

"My cat!" he howled.

I slowly started backing into the crowd.

"My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he roared.

My grin returned as he noticed Potter and I stopped trying to slip away.

"_You! You!_ You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you!" he threatened, "I'll—"

Then more teachers arrived with the headmaster, and Dumbledore cut him off, "_Argus!_"

"Come on," I whispered to Crabbe and Goyle. "Dumbledore and McGonagall let Potter get away with everything. Let's go back to the common room.

As we pushed through the crowds I caught sight of a now familiar blond head. She was staring after the teachers, and Potter, who were walking away.

"Pining after Potter now, are we?" I shot.

She turned. "What's it to you?"

"Didn't know a pureblood like you could sink to his level," I sneered.

Her friends gasped. The short, curly-haired one hissed, "Don't talk to her like that!"

My response was to laugh in her face. I turned to leave.

"Who were they?" asked the other girl as we were walking away.

"My brother and his friends," Elaine stated.

"That obnoxious, blond boy is your brother?" exclaimed the short girl.

"What? No! The taller, dark-haired one is," she corrected.

"You look nothing like him," her friend announced promptly.

"Who's the blond boy then?" the taller girl insisted.

"He's nobody, Ainslee. Come on; let's go find…" Her voice was lost as we moved too far away.

We reached the wall in the dungeon corridor and I gave the password. The common room was crowded; everyone was talking about what had just occurred.

"I'm going to our dormitory," I informed Crabbe and Goyle, then slipped away.

I pulled out my transfiguration book and a piece of parchment.

It was common practice in Slytherin house to taunt people writing letters home. I noticed that during my first year and caught on quickly.

Pretending to be studying usually remedied that. Only really cruel people would rat you out if you were hiding your letter. Those people usually changed their attitude fast; other students went out of their way to get revenge on them. All the Slytherins, by force of habit, wrote letters hidden in their textbooks.

I wrote a letter to my mother, knowing she would be waiting for one, then scribbled short note to my father asking about the Chamber of Secrets. I left them hidden in the pages of my transfiguration book; I'd send them tomorrow.

I was putting on sweats and a t-shirt to go to bed when I paused. Hadn't Goyle's sister been looking up the Chamber of Secrets not long ago in the library?

I pulled my shirt over my head and climbed into my four-post, closing the emerald hangings.

She was an odd girl. Quite often I saw her, it seemed, but a thought occurred to me as I drifted into sleep. At dinner was the first time I had ever seen her smile.

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><p><strong>Dun-Dun-Dun! Back to Draco's point of view. Sorry guys, I know you want to know about the note. Also, I caught up to what I actually have written, so posting may slow down a bit (or a lot). If you guys review, with comments or ideas, it may help me keep up a faster pace. That's my way of saying: Please Review! No flames. Thanks! <strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 15. I managed to finish it today and type it up.**

**Thanks to Jason for giving me some great advice in a review. I'll work on making the chapters longer, but I'm not sure I'm a strong enough writer to be able to keep them smooth as they get longer. I was hoping that people would be able to tell who's point of view it was without putting it it, but I will now for easier reading. **

**For you curious readers Chapter 12 has less visitors than Chapter 13. Haha, I think it's those crazy Americans (don't worry guys, I'm one too!).  
><strong>

**I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters. Let's see in this chapter I've got Elaine Goyle, Nandra Robards, Ainslee Knight, Emery Paulson, Radburn Allen, Jackson Grace, and my group of Hufflepuffs. Not all of them are there by name. These are my characters. As always, Selenia is mine as well, though she does not appear in this chapter.**

**Draco's POV  
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><p>Later in the week, during Potions, I kept thinking about the reply my father had sent me.<p>

The Chamber of Secrets had been opened before, fifty years ago. He knew something about it, but he wouldn't tell me who the Heir of Slytherin was. I wasn't to get in their way at all.

But what if I could help them? I knew I could. I just had to find out who the heir was. I started making a mental list of anyone it could be.

When Potions ended I barely remembered to smirk at Potter, who had to stay behind and do some nasty job Professor Snape had for him. My list slowly grew and I knew I'd need to start figuring out who wasn't the heir, and quickly.

At lunch that day I first heard the rumors. A group of Hufflepuffs walked by us as we ate.

"They say that Harry Potter is the Heir of Slytherin!" one of them whispered.

The other responded in the same hushed tone, "But he isn't in Slytherin; he's in Gryffindor."

"Well, if he can control a monster, maybe he can trick the Sorting Hat too," the first one retorted.

My reaction was strong and instantaneous: fury. Potter was not the Heir of Slytherin; he couldn't be.

Slytherin second years had a free afternoon, so Crabbe, Goyle and I decided to head outside. We stopped in our common room for scarves and gloves; it was a chilly November afternoon.

As we reached the Entrance Hall a group of first years swarmed after us, including a familiar blond head. They headed across the grounds to Madam Hooch.

"This should be good. Remember the last flying lesson we saw? Wasn't your sister there, Goyle?" I jeered.

The first years spread out, each choosing a broom. Elaine was with the same girls as on Halloween. They started practicing, rising about fifteen in the air and flying in circles. Or trying to.

It was very amusing. Some of them jerked up, starting and stopping as they turned. Others started and then fell off their brooms, probably in fright.

We were practically rolling on the ground laughing when they moved on to something else.

However, I had noticed two of the boys racing each other, and the short, curly-haired, blond girl that was with Elaine on Halloween had been flying up and down during her circles. On purpose.

The class resorted to hovering fifteen feet up again, which all of them could do, barely. Some of them looked as if they would cry if they didn't come down soon.

The lesson ended when Madam Hooch let them land. Many looked relieved.

They came tromping back across the grounds. Elaine was in a group of Ravenclaws, I assumed. One of the boys I recognized. He had been racing with the other boy.

I called out to him, "Hey!" The group looked at me. "Nice flying."

A few of them scowled, but Elaine spoke up, "He's talking to Jackson."

The tallest boy looked down at her, then at me. "Thanks."

"When did you learn?" I continued.

He replied, "September."

I blinked. "The first Quidditch match is Saturday. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Root for us, will you?"

Elaine, who seemed to have been absorbed listening to a dark-skinned boy, snorted. "You'd be vain enough to believe the whole school was rooting for you, Malfoy! So are you scared of losing or did you think of a good use for him?"

I stared at her in complete and total shock. So did everyone else for that matter.

Then the last boy grinned. "You should hex him, Elaine. She's really good. I've always wanted to see her hex someone," he announced.

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't bother, Rad; he's not worth it."

My brain finally started to recover. A memory flashed through my head unexpectedly. She was sitting on the window seat in her sitting room, apparently reading, as our mothers discussed the scandal it would be if she was in Gryffindor. As I had imagined it she lot landed up, and I couldn't help grinning at her.

The same grin spread across my face now. She froze in surprise.

"So you are just like your family. Maybe you should have been in Slytherin after all," I mused. With my comment came a strange thought. If she should have been in Slytherin...

After shooting me an icy glare, she caught the sleeve of the taller boy. "Come on, Jackson. He doesn't really want to talk to you."

With the rest of her group following, she dragged him back to the castle.

I turned to Goyle. "I didn't know your sister had a temper."

"Me either," he offered.

"But she has remarkable control of it," I added, nonchalantly.

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><p><strong>There we go. Anyone want to guess what Draco's strange thought was? Anyone have a favorite character yet? Maybe some questions will get you guys to review. Haha, so review please. I'm getting a few more reviews veeeeeeeery slooooooooooowly. No flames. Thanks!<br>**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I had to actually write it and I kept getting stuck... You know how it is. Writer's block... Grr...**

**Anyway we get to see more of the classes at Hogwarts. Enjoy the info. It was hard to come up with. **

**I don't own Harry Potter or characters, but I do own Elaine Goyle, her Ravenclaw friends (minus Luna), and Selenia. **

**Draco's POV  
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><p>That night, at midnight, we had Astronomy. Though most of the Slytherins thought it was pointless, I enjoyed charting the stars. Of course I didn't let anyone else know that.<p>

It was an easy class, especially since we had learned all the names of the stars last year, so this year we simply recorded their movement. We also got to learn the constellations and their stories.

I was careful to moan and complain with the rest of the group, but I always made sure I was listening.

Professor Sinistra was explaining the stories of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, two wizards who were Animagi.

I finished my chart for the night and began double checking the positions. It was easy to finish before the rest of the class, and then I could just listen.

Sitting down next to my telescope, I propped my head on my hand and pretended to fall asleep.

Professor Sinistra finished telling the story and walked over to where I was sitting. When she stopped I opened my eyes, blinked a few times, and handed her my chart. She looked it over, nodded approvingly, and went back to her original position.

She began mentioning facts and other pieces of information regarding the two constellations, and I slipped back into my role of the bored student.

Sinistra hadn't bothered me about this since my first year. I had quickly discovered that the other students would leave me alone if they thought I was sleeping.

However, my teacher wouldn't. The first few times I tried this she walked over and asked me questions about what she had just said. When I could answer all of the questions correctly, she didn't interrupt her class to question me. Instead, she had me say after class to answer her questions. Eventually she got tired of it, so she would check my chart and leave me alone. She only made me stay after class once every few months.

After the first class this year she hadn't made me answer any questions. She must have finally realized I was listening. Took her long enough.

When she stopped mentioning little pieces of information I let my mind wander. The rest of the class still had to finish their charts.

My list of people who could be the Heir of Slytherin was growing. And it was about to get bigger. I had initially assumed that only students in Slytherin could be considered. Now I changed my mind. The strange thought that occurred to me when I was taunting Goyle's sister had seen to that.

Her whole family had been in Slytherin. She was smart. I didn't know why she was in Ravenclaw. She _could_ be the Heir of Slytherin. Which meant, technically, it was also Goyle, but I wasn't worried about Goyle; he wasn't smart enough.

The class ended, cutting off my train of thought. We headed down the Astronomy Tower stairs.

Now that the lesson was over I actually was tired. The long walk to the dungeon seemed even longer. When we reached the dormitory we took off our robes and went to bed, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before heading to breakfast.

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><p>At breakfast we were a, slightly-more-than-usual, bleary eyed group. Fortunately, our schedule had a free period this morning, giving us a chance to wake up after eating.<p>

In the common room I pulled out my transfiguration book to take advantage of the extra time.

When I thought I was going to go crazy I set my book down and pulled a piece of parchment from my bag. I jotted down a few of the names on my mental list.

Theodore Nott was a distinct possibility; his parents had been Death Eaters and he liked to be on his own. I thought about a few of the older students. I added a few names, but I didn't know any of them very well because, for the most part, they only tormented the younger students. Crabbe and Goyle were too dull; I didn't bother putting them on the list. After debating a minute I added Goyle's sister. Pansy Parkinson's name joined hers; she didn't ever completely blow off her classes, so she must have some sense.

"If you've completed your list of people to send love letters to, Malfoy, we have to go to Herbology," Nott interrupted.

"What makes you think that's what it's for?" I asked, grabbing all my things and shoving them in my bag.

"My name's on the top. I hate to break it to you, but I'm out of your league," he joked.

"Of course you are," I responded. "You're so far below me that my mother would die of shame."

We headed out of the common room, up the stairs, and out to the greenhouses for Herbology.

The class was alright, but in my opinion Professor Sprout was too cheerful. Of course, she was Head of Hufflepuff house.

We joined the Ravenclaws in greenhouse three. Laid out along the tables were thick, brown vines covered in green berries and purple-ish leaves.

"Today we are going to be harvesting leaves from the Luther's Vine. Can anyone tell me what these leaves are good for?" Professor Sprout began the lesson. Many of the Ravenclaws raised their hands, and Professor Sprout called, "Miss Turpin."

The girl took a breath and explained, "They are used when a human transformation or transfiguration goes wrong. They are one of the main ingredients in the potions used to restore the people."

Professor Sprout nodded. "Very good! Do you know anything else about the plant?"

"The berries are poisonous, and it can turn you purple if you touch it. It happened to my cousin."

"Wonderful, Miss Turpin. Twenty points to Ravenclaw. Now, harvesting the leaves is simple enough. You just pick a leaf, pinch the stem about half a centimeter from the vine, and pull. Like that. Don't touch the vine; that's what turns you purple. And if any of you happen to touch it… well, you'll be purple for a few days. Go ahead," commanded Professor Sprout.

The students each chose a vine.

"Sometimes I wonder if the only reason we have this class is to provide manual labor for the school. Wouldn't my father have a field day with that," I muttered.

Crabbe and Goyle grunted in response. They seemed to be having trouble pinching the delicate stems of the leaves with their thick fingers. I pulled a few leaves off my own vine, putting them into the bowls Professor Sprout left for us. When I turned back to make a comment, I laughed aloud.

Crabbe was looking at his hand in horror as it slowly turned bright purple.

As the Slytherins noticed him the greenhouse filled with snickering, and even some of the Ravenclaws grinned. Professor Sprout looked up.

"There's always one. Don't worry, chap, you'll be back to normal in a few days," she reassured.

Crabbe scowled at the vine in front of him as he continued picking leaves. I ducked my head for a minute to hide my grin.

Goyle reached for another leaf as I looked up. Making a snap decision, I grabbed a leaf on the same vine. He tried to pull the other leaf off, but I pulled on mine gently until the vine touched his fingers.

At first he didn't notice, but as his fingers slowly turned purple he stopped. His face took on an expression so similar to Crabbe's before that I couldn't help but grin.

When class ended I grabbed my bag, but Professor Sprout insisted," Mr. Malfoy, I'd like to speak to you for a moment."

The rest of the class filed out and I waved Crabbe and Goyle away.

She continued, "I saw what you did with that vine. Would you like to explain what you were thinking?"

Casually I drawled, "I thought it'd be funny to see Goyle turn purple." Then I added, sarcastically, "Or maybe I was thinking if Goyle was purple then Crabbe wouldn't be so humiliated. So it was a good deed. Don't tell anyone, would you?"

Professor Sprout didn't look very amused. "Ten points from Slytherin. Maybe that'll teach you to have some respect."

I shrugged and left. I could earn them back in Potions.

I headed back to the castle, hoping that I would have to time to drop off my bag and wash up before lunch.

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><p><strong>There it is. Got to see more of Draco and his Hogwarts life. *cough cough* character development *cough cough* :) Review please. No flames. Thanks! <strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry it's been so long. I know a few of you have been anxiously awaiting the next chapter, but I've been incredibly busy with school. However, here is the next chapter. I promise I'm still writing, but it'll probably take me a while to finish chapters with school and writer's block working against me. Thanks for the positive reviews and such; they've been really helpful :)  
><strong>

**I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters, etc. But Elaine Goyle and her friends (that aren't from the books) are mine. And Selenia of course.  
><strong>

**Elaine's POV**

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><p>Ainslee, Nandra, and I left the Great Hall after lunch. As we passed the stairs down to the dungeons Nandra stopped. "What's this?"<p>

"The person that just turned the corner might have dropped it," Ainslee observed.

"You should take it to them," Nandra offered the parchment to Ainslee.

"I can't go down there! You found it. You take it," she responded. I sighed and snatched it out of Nandra's hand.

"While you're arguing that person is walking away. Since you seem to be set on returning it, I'll do it!" I exclaimed.

I hurried down the stairs, before they could say anything; I rounded two corners and called to the person ahead. He turned around.

"Oh no…" I cried.

His face reflected my distaste. "Hey, you came to me," Draco defended.

I sighed. "My friends picked this up and thought it might be yours," I justified, unfolding the piece of parchment. It was a list of names. He stepped forward, almost involuntarily, it seemed.

"What is it?" he asked, his hand slightly outstretched.

"A list of names," I murmured. "Why is my name on here?"

He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a curse, and I glanced up and actually looked at him. He was covered in dirt. "Tell me why my name is on a list of… Slytherin students, Malfoy."

He looked kind of annoyed at me now. "Accident, Goyle," he lied.

I couldn't help it, a giggle slipped out. "Sounds like you're talking to my brother."

His face relaxed into a smile. "It does, doesn't it? Can I have my paper back?"

My hands, holding the list, slid behind my back, and I widened my eyes innocently. "But Draco! You haven't told me why my name is on you paper. You can have it as soon as I know," I chirped.

He stepped forward again, this time threateningly; we were toe to toe. "Just give it to me! I've got to get to Quidditch practice," he growled.

Why wouldn't he just tell me? In a flash of intuition, I thought of something. "Draco Malfoy! Did you put my name on a list of people you think might be the Heir of Slytherin?" I gasped.

His grey eyes widened in surprise. "How did you-?" He broke off as I started laughing.

"What? It's not that unbelievable. Your whole family's been in Slytherin. And you're in Ravenclaw, so you must be smart enough…"

"I thought it might be you!" I admitted. "I thought that means you aren't then, if you thought it was me."

He nodded. "I have to go to practice."

Ignoring that, I asked, "Do you want to find out who it is?"

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Meet me in the library after your practice." I could not believe I just said that. Why did I ask Draco Malfoy, of all people, to meet me in the library? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. He was in Slytherin; he could tell me about anyone suspicious. And he would have a better idea of who it might be. Maybe they would lead us to the Chamber. I waited for his response.

He raised his eyebrows, but answered me. "Okay." He drew out the second syllable like a question. I ignored the implication, figuring it was probably something like: Are you crazy? We stood awkwardly for a minute.

"Don't you have Quidditch practice?" I reminded him.

He blinked. "Right. See you," he blurted.

We walked in separate directions; me back down the corridor towards the stairs; him deeper into the dungeons, most likely to his common room. As I reached the first corner he called, "By the way, I turned your brother purple in Herbology."

I spun around slowly. That explained why he was covered in dirt. "Well, it can only be an improvement, I suppose. Purple _is_ my favorite color," I mused. He grinned and disappeared around a corner.

While I hurried back to my friends I tried to think of an excuse for going to the library on my own.

"It wasn't theirs?" Nandra asked when I reached them. What was she talking about?

Oh. I realized I still had Draco's list in my hand. "No, it wasn't his," I lied.

"His?" questioned Ainslee.

"So it was a boy?" Nandra smiled. "Was he cute?"

I froze in mid-step on the stairs. "Ew!"

She frowned. "So he was ugly." My nose crinkled.

"Not exactly, but I don't want to talk about it," I clarified.

"What's that supposed to mean? 'Ew!' But he's not ugly?" Ainslee quizzed.

Rolling my eyes, I repeated, "I don't want to talk about it!"

"Please Elaine! Just tell us who it was. We promise we'll leave you alone if you tell us," Nandra begged.

Right, I thought, you'll definitely leave me alone. But it could be an excuse to head to the library. "It was Draco Malfoy," I announced. Ainslee looked at me in surprise and Nandra gasped.

"That blond boy that always bugs you? Ugh! You haven't seen him since he was talking to Jackson, right?" Nandra babbled.

"No, I haven't. You said you'd leave me alone," I reminded her.

"That is so not fair," she pouted.

Ainslee answered the riddle to get into our common room. Selenia hopped down from my favorite blue armchair and curled herself around my legs.

"Hello! Miss me this morning?" I murmured to her as I picked her up. She licked my fingers and sniffed the parchment still in my hands. Purring, she rubbed her face against it.

"I think she's been saving your seat for you. She almost took off my finger when I tried to move her," Rad mentioned.

I smiled. "Did you keep my seat for me? That was sweet," I cooed to her.

"I have to go to the library for a while, though. Do me a favor and keep Ainslee and Nandra in here? I'm sure Jackson will help you." I requested. Rad promised he would.

In the girls' dormitory I set Selenia gently on my bed, grabbed my bad, and put in _Hogwarts, A History _and some ink and parchment. Once Draco's list was also carefully tucked into it, I headed back down with Selenia at my heels.

Ainslee and Nandra were sitting on one of the couches. Nandra was pouting and Rad was telling her jokes, trying to get her to laugh. He winked at me as I left quietly. In response I just rolled my eyes.

The library was only one floor down and I knew I had plenty of time, so I walked leisurely through the corridors. On the stairs I noticed a girl with bright red hair.

"Ginny!"

She jumped like she'd been slapped, dropping her book. Selenia sniffed it and hissed.

"Elaine. I haven't seen you in a while," she squeaked as she picked it up. It was black and a little worn.

"I'm just heading to the library," I told her, hoping she wouldn't decide to come.

She didn't. "I'm going to my common room. I'll see you later then," she smiled weakly at me.

At the library, I stopped. "Stay here, Selenia. Madam Pince hates cats coming in the library," I ordered her. She stretched out next to the wall and closed her eyes.

In the library I claimed a table tucked in the corner away from prying eyes. I was, in fact, my favorite table. You could see almost every part of the room from it. I set my bag down and went to search for some books that might have information of the Chamber of Secrets.

Because everyone wanted to know about it, finding books with anything helpful was difficult. It took me a while before I returned to my table, but I was patient.

The book was worn and the words a little faded. I turned the pages gently, looking for something useful. An hour passed and a small pile of books grew slowly around me. A small piece of parchment was barely half full of notes next to me. Some of the older students looked at the dedicated little first year in the corner, but I glared them away.

Finally, I sighed. This wasn't getting me very far. A potions book that had caught my eye when I was browsing the shelves beckoned to me from behind the other books. I gave in and opened it, losing myself in a world of possibilities and ingredients.

Until a shadow fell over me and its owner loudly cleared his throat. "You leave your cat in the corridor while you're in the library?"

Surprised, I looked up at him. "No, I—She—Why do you care, Malfoy?" I stuttered. My annoyance at letting him surprise me steadied my tongue.

"Some people, especially Slytherins, are mean to other people's cats. You should be more careful with her," he scolded as he sat in the chair next to me.

"Don't tell me what to do. Why do you care?" I repeated.

He gave me a half-hearted glare and said, "My mother likes cats."

I returned his glare, and noticed several things. He was clean now, and his hair was wet. Instead of leaning back arrogantly in his chair he was slumped slightly forward, and he moved a little sluggishly. He was tired from his Quidditch practice, which is why he wasn't responding to my taunts.

"So why am I here?" he asked, rather peevishly.

Wondering if I was making a huge mistake, I pulled _Hogwarts, A History _from my bag and slipped a piece of parchment from it. It was a copy of Salazar Slytherin's letter that I had made before turning it in.

To hide my hesitance, I set the page unceremoniously in front of him and turned back to my book. He shot me a '_you brought me out her to read something stupid?'_ look, but picked it up.

As I watched from the corner of my eye, his brow furrowed in confusion. Then his eyes widened in surprise. He finished reading and slowly set the paper in front of him. After staring at me for a minute he snapped, "How did _you _find this?"

I opened my mouth to object, but was cut off by the approach of Professor Flitwick. "The Headmaster would like to see you, Miss Goyle," he began, as I snatched the letter off the table. My mind processed his words as my hands automatically tucked it into my books.

"The Headmaster?"

I shoved the few things I had brought with me into my bag. Why would the Headmaster want to see me? It could only be about the letter. "Could you put my books away for me, Malfoy?"

He opened his mouth, no doubt to make a retort, but was interrupted by Flitwick. "Yes, please, Mr. Malfoy. If you would. Come along, Miss Goyle."

Following him obediently, I glanced over my shoulder and caught Draco's glare. Smirking in his direction, I winked, just to annoy him. Who knew when I'd get another chance?

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><p><strong>Well, there you go. The chapter everyone's been waiting for... (For months) Again, sorry for the delay. I hope it was worth it. My chapters will probably be pretty spaced out for the next little while. But don't worry, they will come. <strong>

**And reviews please! No flames. Thanks :)  
><strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey Readers! I am soooooooooooo sorry for the time between last update and this one. Life happened and I got busy with school and such. I won't be updating this one super often at all. However, I do want to finish it (and see if anyone is still paying attention to it.) Also, I updated Chapter 9, and have plans to edit other chapters to improve the development of storyline and characters. Unfortunately, I don't expect it to happen quickly. Sorry guys! But (if you're still reading) enjoy the update!**

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><p>The Great Hall was packed with students by the time I got there, as I had stopped by Ravenclaw Tower to let Selenia back in and put my books away. Ainslee and Nandra waved to let me know where they were and I headed towards them.<p>

I slipped in between them and Nandra greeted me with an offhand, "What took you so long?"

"Couldn't find the right book," I lied absently as I reached for some food. My eyes swept the Slytherin table across from me as I did, stopping at a blonde head.

Draco looked annoyed. How satisfying. He also looked curious, I noticed, as his eyes caught mine. I'd have to explain later I was sure.

Lowering my eyes, I realized I was thankful for tomorrow's Quidditch match. His curiosity would have to wait.

"Well_ I_ don't see how _anyone_ could think Quidditch is boring!" Nandra declared.

"You wouldn't," I sneered steamily, "You think everything is exciting. It takes the fun out of even the things that would be exciting."

She pouted, "You're no fun!"

"Exactly," I shot.

She started to reply, then hesitated, confused by my puzzling logic.

"But you will come, won't you? At least it could be interesting," Ainslee begged, before Nandra could start up again.

"I might as well," I sighed. "I've finished all my school work."

As we headed outside I began to regret my decision. The air was heavy and it looked like a thunderstorm was on its way.

In the stands we found Rad, Jackson, and Emery. "Come sit with us!" Rad called.

"Who are you rooting for?" Nandra asked, sitting next to him.

"Who is everyone rooting for?" he grinned.

"So is everyone rooting for Gryffindor then?" wondered Ainslee.

"Well I'm not sure I'm rooting for anyone, but if I do I'll have to root for Slytherin, of course," I countered.

Just then the teams walked out of their locker rooms, brooms in hand. The captains shook hands and at Madam Hooch's whistle all the players rose into the air.

Meanwhile, Rad kept up a steady stream of commentary. "Did you know Harry Potter is Gryffindor's Seeker? Kalen and Zack told me he's amazing! But all the Slytherins got new brooms. Nimbus two-thousand-and-ones. What do you think? Brooms or talent? Two sickles says brooms over talent. Hey, Elaine, isn't Slytherin's Seeker that boy that was talking to Jackson the other day?"

I looked up to find who he was talking about. I saw and emerald and white blur dodging a Bludger.

"Draco Malfoy? Yes, that's him."

The Bludger Draco had just dodged shot straight at the Gryffindor Seeker.

"Oh look, now it's raining. I never should've let you talk me into this," I groaned.

Ainslee pulled out a little glass jar. "Here. For one of those little fires you're so good at. Where'd you learn those, by the way, I can't seem to find it in any of the books I've read."

My mind strayed to a chilly afternoon that I'd run into that second year from the train, Hermione Granger.

"I can't remember," I lied.

I turned back to the game as two more crimson players joined the Gryffindor Seeker in trying to fight of the Bludger that was now constantly trailing him.

"Bludgers aren't supposed to act like that, are they?" asked Jackson.

"No, they aren't," Rad confirmed.

"Then why is it doing that?" Nandra worried.

"Is it cursed?" Ainslee guessed.

"Must be," Rad concluded, as Madam Hooch called a timeout.

"Think it was the Slytherins?" Nandra whispered.

"No," I enunciated, "Slytherins will do a lot of things, but they would be ashamed to do _that!_'

Nandra looked down, but Rad spoke up. "Why? They're willing to cheat in other ways."

"It's too obvious. They would be disqualified. And that would make them lose," I explained. "And Slytherins don't like to lose."

"How would you know?" he argued.

"My family's been in Slytherin for years. I was raised like one," I snapped.

"What are they arguing about?" Jackson broke in.

All of us followed his gaze through the rain to the Gryffindor team. They did seem to be arguing, but as Madam Hooch approached them they calmed down and the game resumed. The Bludger continued to trail the Gryffindor Seeker the entire game.

Rad's commentary picked back up again. "Man, look at him fly! How's he going to avoid that thing all game? Maybe you should ask him to give you a few pointers, Jackson. I heard he had never flown until he came to Hogwarts either. The rain's really coming down isn't it? Can you move the fire a little this way? How can any of the players see, zooming around like that? Wait—Ouch!" cried Rad.

Gryffindor's Seeker had paused and the Bludger caught up to him, smashing into his arm. He dived towards Draco, who was hovering a few feet below him. I noticed a glint of gold as Draco took off to avoid him.

The crowd gasped as the dark-haired boy tumbled forward off his broom.

"He's got the Snitch!" Rad yelled enthusiastically.

"Then let's go," I decided.

"Shouldn't we wait to make sure he's okay? Ainslee fretted.

"He'll be fine once they take him to Madam Pomfrey. Besides, we'll just be in the way," I countered, leading the way from the stands.

Most of the crowd was hanging around to see what was happening, but once we made it out of the stands it was easy to follow the almost deserted path back to the castle.

"Don't forget to pay up," Jackson, who had taken Rad's bet, reminded him as we entered the common room. "Two sickles." They went straight to the boys' dormitory to settle the debt.

Selenia was in my usual chair.

"I'm going to get a book," I announced to no one in particular, and headed to my dormitory.

I pulled off my wet robes, leaving only my school uniform on, and dug through my trunk to find a book. Not being in the mood for any of my potions books, I pulled out one of Lockhart's books.

When I headed back into the common room a group of older students was coming in.

Selenia's tail was just sliding around the side of the door behind them.

I hurried after her, shoving through the group of students entering. She was halfway down the corridor already. I followed.

Down the stairs, through some corridors, and down more stairs we went. I tried whistling, calling her, scolding. She was leading me somewhere, but I couldn't understand why, or where.

When she finally stopped I scooped her up quickly so that she wouldn't escape again.

"I've got you now," I cooed.

We were in the corridor that led to the Hospital Wing, I realized. There were voices floating from behind the door, which surprised me.

But what surprised me even more was the mud-covered blonde boy listening at the door.

Selenia jumped out of my arms, trotted right up to him and curled around his ankles. He looked down, startled.

"What are you doing down here?" he murmured to her, scratching her ears. She purred.

"A better question would be what are _you_ doing down here?" I hissed.

His head whipped around. It looked like it hurt. That was gratifying.

He glared at me and spat, "You don't really think I can go back to my common room after losing the match, do you? I'd be hexed by about half the older students, not to mention the whole Quidditch team."

I whistled softly to Selenia, who was still curled around Draco's ankles. She came willingly enough this time.

"That still doesn't explain why you're _here_, only why you aren't in your common room," I challenged.

"Fine. If you must know, I came to see what was going to happen to Potter's arm," he retorted.

I paused. "Potter's arm? What are you talking about?"

"Weren't' you at the game?"

"Yes," I snapped, "but Madam Pomfrey can mend bones in a minute."

"You don't know what Lockhart did?" he probed.

"No," I responded defiantly.

He laughed. "That oaf removed all the bones in Potter's arm. And they call him a teacher! I was hoping that they wouldn't be able to put them back."

"There's a potion for that," I informed him.

He simply scowled at me. "So what did Dumbeldore want to talk to you about?"

It was my turn to scowl. "He wanted to talk to me about the letter."

"About the… You told him!" he blurted.

The voices drifting from the door of the Hospital Wing got louder. Footsteps were approaching the door.

Draco grabbed my wrist and yanked me against the wall behind the door. The Gryffindor Quidditch team spilled into the hall and headed down a corridor.

"If you don't want to be seen we can find any empty classroom," I grumbled, pulling my wrist back.

He blinked at me. "Okay."

We headed the opposite direction the Gryffindor team had gone, keeping an eye out for anything or anyone that could get us in trouble. It was getting late, and we should have been heading back to our common rooms by now.

I slipped into one of the empty rooms, and Draco followed. He closed the door quietly behind him, and repeated, "You told _Dumbledore_?"

Instead of answering I wandered the room a bit, looking for anything interesting.

"What were you thinking? And of course he didn't let you keep it, did he? Aren't you supposed to be smart? Now he'll be watching us to make sure we aren't doing exactly what we've been doing!"

"What do you mean _'us'_? And I didn't tell Dumbledore anything. I turned the letter in to Professor Snape ages ago. The one I showed you was the copy I made," I snapped.

All Draco could do was stare blankly.

"Dumbledore just wanted to know how I'd found it, which has nothing to do with you, so you needn't worry. You won't be getting into any trouble. Unless, of course, you're caught on the way back to your common room, which has nothing to do with me at all."

I stalked over to the door, cautiously checked the hall for teachers, and then hurried to return to my own common room, leaving Draco with his mouth still hanging slightly open. I found Selenia napping patiently outside the entrance, and I quickly answered the riddle and entered.

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><p><strong>As always: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!<strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**I got another Chapter up! I also edited a few chapters; I think they are 9, 13, and 15. The date I edited them should be at the top. Enjoy!**

**Also, I don't own the characters from J.K. Rowling's books etc, etc. But the rest are mine.**

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><p>On Monday in Charms the Ravenclaws heard the news.<p>

"Colin Creevey's been petrified!" Emery whispered to us as the boys took the empty seats around us. Ainslee gasped and Nandra exclaimed, "What?" just a little too loudly.

"Miss Robards. Please refrain from talking in class," Professor Flitwick instructed. When Nandra didn't respond he turned back to the rest of the class and continued.

"Who's Colin Creevey?" I asked, disinterestedly.

"He's that Gryffindor boy that always has a camera," Ainslee told me.

After that I tuned them out. The Heir of Slytherin had struck again. And I was still no closer to figuring out who it was. How was I even supposed to notice anyone suspicious? I hardly knew any of the Slytherins. Unfortunately, I knew someone that did.

Draco.

I was being forced to rely on him more and more and I didn't like it. But for now it was my only option, if I wanted to get the information I needed.

Perhaps it was time to start figuring out some other things about the Chamber of Secrets. What was the monster that lived in the Chamber? And where was the Chamber of Secrets hidden?

The week passed slowly. By Thursday I was stewing. I had classes and plenty of homework to keep me busy all week, and I hadn't had any time to research.

I had also been avoiding Draco. He got on my nerves.

We hadn't spoken since the night of the Quidditch match, which was fine by me.

History of Magic was as boring as usual, and then we headed down to the dungeons for potions.

A group of second years were heading upstairs from the dungeons, crowding the staircase. Nandra, Ainslee, Radburn, and I were following Jackson and Emery closely while they pushed through the crowd. Unfortunately, someone stepped right in front of me, cutting me off from the group and blocking my way down the stairs.

I started pushing my way through, only to come face to face with exactly the person I was trying to avoid.

Draco. And my brother and the other boy flanked him.

"Elai—Goyle! What is your sister doing down here?" he spluttered.

"How am I supposed to know?" Gregory mumbled.

"Well she's your sister."

"And if you bothered to ask said sister, you'd quickly be informed that she's going to potions and you're in the way," I growled. "Now move."

Surprisingly, he did, and as I hurried down the stairs Emery met me.

"What happened? You were with us, and then we were at the bottom of the stairs and you were just gone."

"I ran into my brother."

"Was the other boy with him?"

"What other boy?"

"The blonde one that always bothers you."

"How do you know about him?" I asked.

He blushed. "Ainslee."

We walked into the potions room and took our seats just as Professor Snape entered the room. "Turn to page four hundred and thirty-seven, and begin," he instructed.

The potion we were working on today was the Hiccupping Solution. It would be easy for me. I pulled out the ingredients and started working.

As I was finishing the first section of my potion, Professor Snape stopped in front of me. "Miss Goyle, please be so kind as to follow the directions in your textbook exactly," he ordered.

I looked up at him blankly. He must have known by now that the reason I did so well in class was that I made corrections to my textbook. A potion could only turn out so well when made using mediocre instructions.

Professor Snape continued on, observing the performance of other students. I decided he must not really mean it. He must have some ulterior motive to saying that in front of the class.

So I continued to brew my potion, following the changes I made to my instructions one Saturday some weeks ago.

I was adding powdered beetles' eyes—they were much more effective crushed, not whole, and it cut the waiting time down by ten minutes—when Professor Snape stopped in front of my caldron again.

"Tell me, Miss Goyle, do you believe that first year students are smarter than those great witches and wizards that wrote the textbooks for them?" he sneered.

"It depends, sir," I replied coolly.

"Do explain your theory, Miss Goyle."

"Professor Lockhart wrote all of our Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks for this year, sir. But I don't believe he is smarter than the average first year." The class broke out in giggles.

A muscle in Professor Snape's cheek twitched, and if we hadn't been in class I believe he would've smiled at my comment. Instead he commanded, "Silence. Professor Lockhart did not write your potions book, Miss Goyle, which would make your opinion irrelevant. Follow the instructions in your textbook. Exactly."

I glared.

He turned his back to me and went to his desk.

To avoid any more of his attempts to humiliate me, I did as he told me. At the end of class my potion turned out usable, but not the way it should have been. It was the worst potion I'd made all year, and I left class in a nasty mood.

The other first years went straight to the Great Hall for lunch, but I headed back to my dormitory. I pulled out my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay to proofread one last time before it was due tomorrow.

Just as I was finishing, Nandra came in. "We brought you some food since you skipped lunch. We can work on that new potions essay while you eat," she suggested.

"I'm not hungry," I lied, as I pulled out some parchment.

"How are you not hungry? Just come on," she pressed.

"If I wanted to eat, I would've gone to lunch."

She made a face and me and left, calling, "Fine!" as she left.

I started rewriting the final copy of my essay. Before I got very far, Ainslee came in.

" Are you upset about potions, Elaine?" she wondered. "It's hard to tell because you don't look upset."

I ignored her and focused on my essay. She sat down on her bed, which was right next to mine.

"Everyone in our class knows you're Professor Snape's favorite student. You're the only one he doesn't criticize on a regular basis. Maybe he just had a bad day."

"No, he almost smiled at my comment about Lockhart. It was something else. He did it on purpose," I complained, without looking up.

"Well, you always make your potions a little differently than everyone else. Maybe he wanted to see how you did when you used the same process as the rest of the class. Your potion was still the best of everyone's," Ainslee reasoned.

I finally looked up. "That makes sense," I said, surprised. I needed to remember that I was in Ravenclaw, where all students were chosen for their cleverness and intelligence, not just me.

"Come on, Elaine. Don't waste the food we brought back. And then you can help us with out potions essays. You know we'll all do loads better if you answer our questions," Ainslee persuaded.

She was right about that.

"Fine," I relented. "But next time you have to do them by yourselves."

As we left the common room the following week to head to class Emery asked, "Is anyone staying here for Christmas? My parents have to work."

"I'm staying," Rad announced.

"Me too," Nandra chimed. "How do we sign up?"

"Flitwick put the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the common room. Just write your name down," Emery answered.

"I'm glad you guys are staying," Ainslee smiled. "That way you'll be with friends."

Emery smiled back at her.

"Well," Nandra corrected, as we walked into Professor Binns' class, "I'm staying if I survive History of Magic."

"We're all going to survive History of Magic," Ainslee reassured.

"Or none of us will," Rad contradicted, and Jackson grinned.

"Elaine will," Emery murmured.

"Yeah, so she should help us all pass! Share your notes," Rad insisted.

"I don't take notes," I reminded him.

Professor Binns started class, but Nandra whispered, "Then how do you do so well?"

"I just remember it," I answered. She rolled her eyes at me.

After twenty minutes of Professor Binns' droning, which left ninety-five percent of the class in a sleep-like stupor, Ainslee whispered, "Look, it's Professor Snape."

He stalked in and muttered something to Professor Binns, while whispers spread through the class and a few snores were cut off.

"Miss Goyle, Professor Snape would like to speak with you. Take your things," Professor Binns announced.

The whispers cut off, but quickly picked back up as I stood and gathered my things. I followed Professor Snape into the hallway and down to the dungeons. We were the only ones in the corridor that led to the potions classroom. Professor Snape opened the door and gestured for me to enter.

I did, and walked towards his desk with my head held high, determined to show a good face in spite of my abysmal performance in our last class. It was his own fault anyway. If he had let me do my own work instead of forcing me to follow the half-developed instructions in the textbook then my potion would have turned out perfect. Especially because he knew that was why my potions turned out ten times better than the next best student.

I was still seething over it. But I wasn't about to let my frustration with him show.

e sat down at his desk and pulled over some papers and began to work on them. He was deliberately ignoring me. Two could play at that game. I would be patient as long as I needed to.

After about five minutes I let my gaze drift to his work, simply out of curiosity. They were potions.

My interest was immediately captured. I watched as he corrected handling of ingredients and added notes to the instructions. The next fifteen minutes seemed to be seconds to me as I watched my professor—and now, to me, the master of potions—work.

Until he made a mistake.

"No, you can't crush hellebore, you won't be able to use it anymore."

Professor Snape looked at me and I cringed inwardly. Outwardly, I simply straightened up, lifted my chin, and met his gaze. I was right.

"And where did you get such a notion, Miss Goyle?" he questioned.

"I read it in a potions book a few years ago," I replied.

He raised his eyebrows. "And you take this book as a higher authority than your potions textbook?"

"No, sir. I tested it. It's quite true."

"You tested it?"

"Multiple times, sir. I wanted to be sure."

He didn't respond, just stared at me for a moment. Then he spoke. "Very good, Miss Goyle. Most fourth year students do not know what you just told me. You are quite advanced. Much more so than any first or second year student. I would like to five you personal lessons, so that you can actually learn something this year. Talent like yours should be fed, not ignored."

Personal lessons? Ainslee was right; he must have been testing me.

"Please be here Wednesday evening at seven o'clock. You may go."

I turned away from him and left the classroom, more excited than I had been in weeks.

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it. Please let me know what you think! Review, review, but don't hate. Thank you!<strong>


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